Death Comes Calling
by HouseNorthman
Summary: Starts during the trunk scene in Club Dead. I never could reconcile that Eric would have let Bill get away with what he did to Sookie. Things go very different in this story when Eric puts his best skills to the test to win the love of the telepath. E/S
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Story picks up with Sookie trapped in the car trunk with Bill in Mississippi. **

***All SVM characters belong to Charlaine Harris* **

* * *

The last thing I remembered before succumbing to the darkness invading my head was the sound of metal being torn apart and a beautiful glowing face looking down at me. _I've died _I thought as I drifted out to sea. This must be some kind of purgatory before Heaven; if in fact I was in Heaven. The way my life had begun changing, I wasn't entirely sure that's where I would end up. How did I reach this point in my life or afterlife for that matter?

I guess you could say I had set this course in motion the night Bill Compton walked into my life. Up until then I was just a lonely, telepathic barmaid trying to manage everyday life. That night at Merlotte's when my eyes locked onto his; I started thinking perhaps my life could be more entertaining than it currently was. Up to that point my nights consisted of either slinging burgers to the local drunks or playing Yahtzee with my Grandmother; yes it was as depressing as it sounds.

My initial attraction to Bill started quickly when I realized that vampires thoughts were a blank to me. After a lifetime of noise in my head, I could actually relax around vamps and only hear the words that came out of their mouths. Now you're probably thinking that 'relaxing' around vampires is about as smart as swimming in the ocean with a chum bucket around your neck and you would be right. It became obvious pretty quickly that my life was going to be forever changed whether that was for the good or not.

As much as I'd like to say that I was intelligent enough to notice all the red flags with Bill, I wasn't. He was my first relationship and my first and only lover. What I didn't realize with Bill; due to my lack of experience in everything was that we weren't all that compatible. Unfortunately for me I was figuring this out a little too late, as in I should have figured this out while I was still amongst the living. It didn't matter now that I had realized that I shouldn't have mistaken love with lust but on the bright side; at least I wouldn't die a virgin.

And that brings me to my current predicament. I came to Mississippi to save my slime ball 'boyfriend' from his bitch maker Lorena. She lured him to Jackson to get her hands on a top secret database he was working on for the Queen of Louisiana. Being the doormat that I was, I came to rescue him even after I found out he had willingly left me for her before she put a damper on their relationship with the whole torture thing. It wasn't enough that I came to look for him, but I actually escaped being attacked by more than one furry creature of the night and even a staking! That's right, some lunatic FOTS douche bag actually staked me in Club Dead….where I was looking for information….to save said slime ball.

Apparently in the Bill Compton dating how-to book, draining and raping your girlfriend were acceptable forms of gratitude to the person who just saved your sorry ass. So here I was in Mississippi; dead in the trunk of some drug dealer's car with my neck torn open and my vag probably not in a pretty state either. Well I hope you're ready for me to haunt your undead ass Bill Compton because I will be ghost stalking you every time you try to get with some fangbanger.

As I waited for the angel to come back and take me wherever I was going, I realized how much I was going to miss one particular vampire; Eric. Not 24 hours before, I was snuggled in a big bed with that Norse stallion and strongly considering changing my one man status. Now don't get me wrong I'm not easy, but honestly who could turn down Eric? He was six and a half foot of pure Scandinavian naughtiness with his long blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and that wicked sense of humor and adventure. But alas, this telepath was not meant to enjoy the attentions of a man like that since now I would never find out what would have happened had Bubba not interrupted. The only thing I could take comfort in now was the knowledge that Eric would most likely torture, maim, and finally kill Bill when he found out about my death.

Slowly I opened my eyes and found the blurry face of that beautiful angel again. Thank God maybe this was a good sign I had made it to Heaven. Unable to resist, I reached my hand up and touched the porcelain face.

"Are you my guardian angel?" I mumbled. He put his cool hand over top of my mine on his face.

"No dear I'm not." He replied.

"That's good because I was going to tell you that you were doing a shitty job."

He actually chuckled before replying. "I am sorry; it's a mistake I will not make again."

"It's ok." Before I could talk to him anymore about my new ghostly plans, my eyes closed and I couldn't find the strength to open them back up.

For what seemed like days, I floated in a peaceful cloud of reflection and spectral observation. I saw the face of my parents and my Gran, looking more at peace now than they ever were in life. Seemed like a good sign to me that they were happy. Perhaps being a ghost wouldn't be so bad, especially if I could convince the big guy that me haunting Bill for the rest of his life was not against any Heavenly code of ethics.

Somewhere in the distance I heard a voice calling out to me. It wasn't loud and I couldn't decipher who it was coming from, all I knew is that it was like a symphony to my soul; the tenor of it making love to my mind in a gentle caress.

"Sookie…Sookie wake up….can you feel me reaching for you Sookie? Come to me my angel." I didn't care who was calling for me, all I knew is that I was going wherever they wanted. I struggled in my mind to follow the silky voice.

Slowly but surely my eyes opened and I was looking up at a white canvas, apparently Heaven was not into the whole decorating with color thing.

"God?" I asked aloud.

"Geez what did Dr. Ludwig give her?" A female voice said.

"Sookie can you hear me?" Came the voice of my angel again.

"Of course I can; I'm dead not deaf."

"Well seems like her attitude is still intact." The female laughed.

"Sookie you aren't dead, you're going to be ok."

Realization started flooding my brain and I looked over to where I heard the angel's voice coming from. Unless Heaven was really Valhalla, I was definitely not there. Sitting on the bed to my right was none other than Eric. Confused, I looked around the rest of the room to find that I was in my own bedroom in Bon Temps. If that wasn't strange enough, standing to my left and looking through my drawers was Pam. She was looking as Stepford Wives as ever with her white palazzo pants and lilac cashmere sweater. Near death experience or not, I was pretty jealous of her beautiful appearance right now when I could only imagine what I looked like.

"Looking for something in particular Pam?" I asked the pretty vamp.

"Not really. You know Sookie; you really should let me introduce you to a designer besides Wal-Mart."

"I'll try to remember that next time I'm almost murdered in a car trunk Pam"

That elicited a growl from both my friendly neighborhood vampires.

"Pam give us a minute please." Eric said to his child in a no nonsense tone. She nodded to him and slipped out of the room.

I let the silence draw out for a long time because honestly I didn't know where to start. When I couldn't take it anymore, I looked at Eric who seemed to be counting my eyelashes.

"So can you explain to me what happened? I don't even know how long it's been since…..since Mississippi." It was more polite to say than 'since Bill violated me in every way in the car trunk'

"It's Monday December 6th. We left Mississippi last night, after you were hurt." His voice was calm but I could see rage behind those glacier blue eyes.

"The last thing I remember is when Bill finally came to his senses and I told him I needed air; he punched a hole in the trunk. I thought I was dead." My body shivered as the words came out of my mouth.

Faster than my eye could follow, Eric had grabbed my favorite chenille blanket off my chair and wrapped it around me. The gesture was nice but the shiver was not because of the cold. I waited for him to fill in the rest of the story for me but right now he was pacing the room, clenching and unclenching his fist. There was so much anger and hurt inside him I could almost feel it; wait was I actually feeling it?

"I went to Alcide's parking deck at first dark just as I told you I would. On the way over there, I could feel your fear; you were terrified. I flew as fast as I could and by the time I zoned in on the car, I saw a fist come through the trunk. I ripped the trunk lid off and saw you…..I saw Bill…you were so cold and bloody." Now it was his turn to shiver. He was facing the window with his back to me in silence as I tried to keep a lid on my own emotions. Finally he continued. "I took you up to the Were's apartment and sealed your neck wound before calling Dr. Ludwig. While I was waiting for her, I could smell him on you. I could smell that he forced himself on you."

I couldn't stand it any longer. I was fighting against the sea of pain in my head and my heart, but I could hold out no longer. I let out a choked sob before burying my face in my hands. Eric was by my side in an instant. I waited for his strong arms to wrap around me and comfort me, but they never came. I glanced out from my hands and saw the warrior I had come to know in front of me; broken. There were blood tears streaming down his face and a look of utter defeat. Shocked by the sight, my sobs quieted momentarily as the tears silently fell.

"I am so sorry I failed you Sookie. I will never forgive myself for it." He said.

"You? You didn't fail me Eric. What are you talking about?"

"I didn't protect you! The things he did to you….you almost died at his hands and if I would have been a minute later, you probably would have. Can you ever forgive me?" He was almost in sobs now.

I threw my arms around his neck. I didn't know what was more disheartening; seeing the toughest vampire I've ever known broken down and defeated or the fact that he was right that I almost died in that trunk.

"You do not blame yourself for this! None of this is your fault!" I scolded him. "Bill Compton and that bitch Debbie Pelt are the only ones to blame for this. I don't need to forgive you because you did nothing wrong." I had moved my hands to his cheeks and positioned him to look me in the eyes.

"Debbie Pelt; Herveaux's woman?" He asked confused.

"Yes his ex. She was the one who pushed me into the trunk when I got out to check on Bill." My pain had subsided for the moment to be replaced by rage. I wasn't the only one either.

"The shifter locked you in a trunk with a starved vampire?" Eric growled barely containing his bloodlust.

"Yeah, I guess it was her idea of a joke."

Eric pulled out his phone undoubtedly to call Alcide or a hit man. Either one was not what I had in mind though. I grabbed the phone and disconnected the call before anyone could answer.

"What are you doing?" He growled.

"Don't do anything to her."

"Why the hell not? If she wouldn't have locked you in that trunk, Bill might have actually drank the bloods in the car and not turned on you. She will fucking pay for this."

"Oh no doubt she's gonna pay, but not by you. She's mine." I said with fierce conviction. I swear I think Eric actually smiled at me. "Anyways, what happened next?"

"Dr. Ludwig was there almost immediately and she gave you a blood transfusion. I had wanted to give you my blood right away to start healing you, but since Bill had all but drained you; I wasn't sure what would happen." Thank goodness he was thinking quickly or I might have woken up tonight vampire. Of course there could be worse things; with how grateful I was to be alive, I may have even preferred being one of the undead to the truly dead. "After she gave you a transfusion, she said it would then be safe to give you my blood and it would help you heal."

So I did have more of his blood; maybe that's why I thought I was feeling his emotions.

"Before you say anything Sookie; I want you to know that I only gave you a small amount. I would have waited until you were conscious to ask for your permission, but there simply wasn't the time. You were too close and there was no time to waste. I understand if you are angry with me, but I assure you it was life or death." He was rattling on because apparently he thought I would throw a Sookie tantrum.

"I understand and I appreciate you saving my life Eric. I wouldn't be here without you."

Well that busted his bubble. He looked at me as if I had grown another head.

"You mean you're not angry?" I shook my head. "You are grateful to me for taking the decision into my own hands?" I again shook my head.

"Eric I know sometimes I can be a pain in the ass, but you really have done a lot for me. You stayed with me when I was staked in the club, you healed me in the mansion, and then you came to my rescue again and you did whatever you had to do to save me. I'm not that hard hearted; I mean I know you've done everything in your power to keep me safe." Maybe it was me maturing or maybe it was my near death experience, but I realized that sometimes I can be really tough to get along with. Eric has proven more than once that he's willing to go that extra mile to help me and I've never showed him the gratitude he deserves. If Oprah were here she would say I'm having an aha! Moment.

"I am glad you feel that way. I would do anything to protect you; you know that." He took one of my hands in his large ones so slowly and carefully, giving me plenty of time to object to the contact. I knew he was trying to be very careful after what had just happened to me and I appreciated it more than he could know.

We sat there enjoying the silence for a few moments as I relished the feel of his cool skin against my hand. The simple gesture was doing wonders for calming my frazzled nerves.

"So I guess I have to ask; what happened to Bill?" I spoke the question quietly as if not to interrupt our little zen moment.

I could feel Eric tense and watched as he tried to keep his anger under control before speaking. "He is being held for questioning…and punishment."

"Oh okay. I know you were worried about the Queen; I don't want you to get in any trouble for hurting him."

"Do not worry about that dear one, the Queen was made aware of the circumstances and is holding Bill at her compound until she decides his punishment. I had him put on a plane last night and flown straight to New Orleans." Eric had a slightly toothy grin as he explained. Whatever was in store for Bill was not going to be pretty.

I was contemplating how I felt about knowing Bill was going to be punished on my behalf when a knock came at the door.

"Pam" Eric said to me.

"Come in." I called to her.

"I need to get going but I wanted to check on you first. Perhaps you need help showering? I could soap you up." She purred at me. Leave it to Pam to make me feel better by lightening the tension.

"I think I'll be ok, but maybe you could come back tomorrow night? We could watch a movie or something?"

She actually giggled before looking at Eric. "I'll have to see if that hard ass boss of mine will give me a night off."

"Am I not invited to this movie party?" Eric asked faking his hurt. Before I could answer Pam chimed in.

"Sorry, girls only." She said.

"Very well. Someone has to enthrall the vermin I guess."

"Well goodnight Sookie, I'll see you tomorrow." To my surprise, she leaned down and hugged me. When she was right beside my ear she whispered to me. "Say the word and I'll end that piece of shit tonight."

"Pam that's sweet that you would offer to murder someone for me, but I think I'll ask you to hold off on that for now." It's a good thing I didn't end up dead because I probably never would have made it into Heaven considering I actually did think it was thoughtful of her to offer.

She left after promising to return tomorrow in her PJ's. I tried to explain to her that this wasn't a pajama party but the idea made her so happy I just went along with it. Anyways, she wouldn't eat me…..probably. When you have such a small number of friends like I do, you'd be happy to have a new girlfriend too; even if she is technically dead.

"So I'll see you soon I guess." I said to Eric.

"Yes, just call me if you need anything. I put my cell number in your phone and of course you can call Fangtasia if you can't reach me on there."

He stood up but seemed reluctant to actually leave. I knew there were things he wanted to say to me but didn't think it was the right time. I knew that because I was feeling the same way. No matter what my head and my blood were telling me, it was going to take some time to sort through everything that happened and figure out where to go from there. Finally reaching some internal conclusion, he kissed the top of my head and walked to the door.

"Goodnight Eric." I said before he left.

"Goodnight min skatt."

**EPOV**

I walked out of Sookie's house and took to the sky. My destination was not Shreveport or Fangtasia; no tonight I had a few things to take care of first. My flight took less than a minute as I landed silently in the tree line beside Bill's house. That fake southern gentleman crap might fool humans but I've spent many lifetimes perfecting the art of blending in. As Sookie once told me 'you can't bullshit a bullshitter.' My sweet southern belle definitely had a way with words. My rage at that waste of blood Bill Compton began building in me again thinking of how much damage he had done to her.

From the night Bill walked into Fangtasia with Sookie, I knew she would be mine. She came in that night wearing a little white sundress and red fuck me stilettos and I noticed her immediately. I could tell my child was quite taken with her as well judging by the speed at which she raced over to me to make sure I saw her. Of course I had seen her; she was the bright shining light in a sea of darkness and none rivaled her beauty or her smell. I kept my cool façade as I motioned for Compton to come to the dais. The closer Sookie got, the more I came undone. Her smell was like sunshine, honey, and cookies had a ménage-a-trois and the way her ample breasts tipped over the cups of her dress each time she breathed was enough to make me forget the English language.

The more time I spent with this little spitfire, the more interested I became. Somewhere along the way, I went from purely wanting to fuck her senseless to something much more. Then came the news that Bill had done what I knew was inevitable and fucked things up with her. He actually left that delicious angel to return to his skanky maker. She didn't even have to use a maker's command on him either; he willingly went to her, fucked her, and was prepared to bid farewell to Sookie to return to her side. Little did he know that she was only using him to try to get to the database he had secretly been working on for our Queen. Oh well, serves the little prick right for hurting Sookie.

Yes Sophie Ann thought she was so smart and sneaky for commissioning Bill to work on her little project but I knew all along he was up to something. You don't live to be my age without being able to outmaneuver those around you. My spies had already apprised me of the situation with Bill's program and the Queen's involvement, but I had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't all they were working on together. As it turned out, Bill has been a very bad boy. That brings me to why I'm standing outside Compton's house right now. Peering through a side window from a safe distance away, I see a familiar face moving through the house. Andre; the Queen's child and second in command.

_Well well well, what are you doing here?_ I wait a moment longer and see that sure enough, Sophie Ann is in the house with Andre. Hook, line, and sinker assholes. Right before dawn this morning I called the palace to tell her Majesty that I had retrieved Compton from Mississippi and informed her of what he had done to Sookie. She couldn't hide her anger and I knew then that my hunch was right and the Queen knew all about Sookie and what she could do.

It was too convenient that Bill had showed up in Bon Temps and immediately befriended the only part fairy/telepath possibly in existence. Now the Queen and her lap dog Andre were breaking into Bill's house in search of what? My guess is the evidence that would implicate her in stalking and trying to force a human into slavery. Of course these were not things our kind would frown upon usually, but since the Great Reveal we had to toe the line carefully and the council would not take kindly to the Queen's actions.

I sensed my child long before she glided up beside me. She had two young men with her, one in each arm as she dropped them to the ground. They had clearly been glamoured into submission.

"I see you gathered the supplies." I said to her.

"Of course Master." She handed me the bag that was slung over her shoulder.

Inside the bag were two rifles filled with wooden bullets, a glass bottle filled with gasoline, a rag, a lighter, spray paint, and a few other worthy trinkets all courtesy of the Fellowship of the Sun. Pam and I quickly divested our clothes and placed them in the brush. We each slid on a pair of black leather gloves and grabbed a rifle and the newly assembled Molotov cocktail and walked towards the front of the house. Pam directed her Fellowship fools to follow us where we came to a stop about 20 feet in front of the front porch steps.

"Ready?" I whispered to my child.

"Let's do this." She said showing full fang. It occurred to me for the umpteenth time how incredible my progeny really was. Once she aimed the rifle, I lit the homemade explosive and threw it into the house.

I raised my rifle immediately and within seconds there were two very pissed off vampires standing on the porch; well they could join the club because I was pretty fucking angry too.

"Sheriff what the hell is going on?" Sophie Ann hissed. I noticed she and Andre were quickly taking in the scene before them and trying to decide how to escape or take us out. The latter she had no chance of accomplishing.

"You see my Queen; you are trying to steal something that is mine. I'm afraid I can't allow that." I answered calmly.

"You dare threaten your Queen?" Andre yelled attempting to be scary. He would have to try a lot harder.

"Oh I can assure you it's no idle threat. You two are the threat. A threat to my future lover and because of your idiotic scheme, you allowed her to be raped and drained by your fucking minion!" I growled with my fangs fully out now.

"The actions of Mr. Compton have nothing to do with me Northman! The girl is mine by rights; I am the Monarch of this state! You will meet the final death for your treason." Silly bitch, she really didn't see that she was so screwed right now.

"I don't think so Sophie Ann, you see these two gentlemen beside me? They are local FOTS members and they came to Bon Temps tonight to barbecue a vampire and instead they got two for the price of one. Must be their lucky day." BOOM! BOOM! Pam and I fired almost in unison and watched in rapture as the two vampires exploded into goo.

It took every ounce of my self-control not to rend the human's limb from limb in my bloodlust. I had too much pent up rage and pretty soon I was going to have to find an outlet. For now I focused on the task at hand and placed the rifle in the closest man's hands and commanded him to fire towards the house. Pam put her rifle in the other man's hand and quickly filled their brains with the confession they would later give police. I zipped up the stairs and hovering above the mess on the porch, I spray painted the usual hate garb. In big black letters I wrote BACK TO HELL across the front of the house. The fire was really starting to spread now so Pam and I got dressed, placed the evidence near the men, released them from our glamour and took to the sky.

I whipped out one of the many disposable cell phones I keep handy and called 911. Imitating voices is one of my child's abilities so I handed her the phone and in her best old woman voice she gave the operator the address of the fire. We tore through the night sky towards Shreveport and in no time we were walking into Fangtasia. It was Monday so the club was closed, but we did have one special visitor downstairs.

"Oh Billy boy I'm home!" I sang jovially as I waltzed into my lair. Pam was at my heels and I could feel her need for revenge through our bond. As much as she didn't like to admit to caring about a human, she was quite fond of Sookie. I had to keep her from killing Compton last night when she picked him up from Mississippi.

Bill was shackled to the back wall in silver chains and the sight of him there suffering was enough to bring a smile to my face.

"Why are you doing this Eric? You've won, she'll never forgive me." He said without even trying to keep up that ridiculous southern twang.

"Oh that you can be sure of Bill, she will most definitely be mine. That is not why you're here though. You're here because you had the nerve to forcefully take her blood, almost to the point of killing her and then if that wasn't bad enough; you defile her beautiful body by forcing yourself on her!" By this time I had gotten right up in Bill's face with my fangs begging to rip his throat out.

"Are you the fucking morality police now Sheriff? You are offended by what I did when I'm quite sure you've done much worse in your long life."

"Oh I've done much worse that's for sure but I have never forced myself on a woman sexually. Women and men throw themselves at me for the chance to bed me. Only a worthless sack of shit like you would take a woman that way. Of course that's probably your standard procedure since women wouldn't want to sleep with you if you hadn't given them huge amounts of your blood to force their attraction."

At that his eyes widened for a second and I saw his fear. He should be afraid; he knew that I knew all about his little scheme and what he had done to my sweet Sookie. The night after he met Sookie when she saved him from the drainers, he had stood back and allowed them to beat her almost to death so he could fill her with his blood. Getting his blood inside her so quickly was vital to his plan of seduction. He was really starting to look nervous as Pam and I repeated the procedure from earlier and stripped off our clothes. Pam loved to torture but she wasn't about to ruin her good clothes.

"That's right Compton, we know all about your plan to procure Sookie by any means necessary and deliver her to the Queen. Funny thing about that is, a little birdie told me that the Queen and her second met a very unfortunate end this evening. It's truly a shame, I guess now she won't be getting a telepath for Christmas." Pam said smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"Are you two mad? You will never get away with murdering a Queen!" He shouted.

"Oh but I think we will. Did I mention that the Queen was at your house tonight? No doubt looking for the evidence that ties her to you in your failed mission. Oh and sorry to tell you, but your ancestral home didn't survive the explosive I sent through the window." I laughed maniacally.

"Fuck you Eric! It may not be me or Sophie Ann but some other vampire will get to your precious Sookie and when they do; they'll take her body, her spirit, and her blood. There won't be anything left but a used shell of a telepath."

Before I could even inflict some kind of torture on him, Pam had thrust her fist through his body and ripped out what appeared to be a kidney. She held it up in front of his face before tossing it across the room. I had to give her points for creativity, that was pretty badass. I watched as Bill screamed in pain as his body tried to repair the hole and stop the bleeding. As soon as his screaming quieted, Pam kicked him in the balls and ground her heel in for good measure. Vampire or not, that shit hurts.

"Thank you Eric; he's all yours." She said sauntering behind me.

The beast in me was pounding to be let out. For the most part, I could be a calm man when need be but I was a vampire; a killer by nature. If I let myself give in to the beast often, I would never get anything accomplished. The best method was to keep it locked down inside me most of the time and only let it come to the surface in certain situations; this was definitely one of those situations. A loud growl erupted from deep within me as I gave in completely to my nature. I could smell Compton's fear permeating the room and it only drove me further into the madness.

I used my last ounce of higher brain function to give Bill a message.

"Don't you worry about Sookie; I'm going to take very good care of her. Every night she'll scream my name as I drive her wild with ecstasy, she'll forget all about you in no time. The time you were with her will be nothing more than a sad reminder of a mistake on her part. She'll carry my blood, my scent, my seed, MINE! Everyone who owes me fealty will worship her and envy me above all others and you will be nothing more than ashes in the wind."

And with those parting words, I let go of the grasp of sanity I had left. All I knew was white hot rage, blood, revenge. There were screams and growls but I couldn't tell you who they were coming from. When I could do nothing else to the shell of Bill Compton, I ripped out his worthless heart and bathed in his blood. Every animalistic need inside me was screaming to be sated when I turned to my child who was also covered in blood and very naked.

I grabbed her, taking her to the bed we kept down here and tossed her onto it. She happily jumped back up wrapping her legs around my waist and sinking her fangs into my neck. I hissed as the exquisite pain tore through me. I held her hips and impaled her onto my throbbing length. She threw her head back, releasing my neck and moaned my name. I pushed her up against the wall as I was wild with need and she was just as frenzied. We moved at vampire speed with her riding me just as hard as I was giving it to her and it didn't take long for me to explode inside her.

She pushed me to the bed and got on all fours, presenting herself to me. I let out a guttural growl as I slowly pushed inside her from behind. Now that I had taken the edge off, I was able to think a little more clearly as I pushed with long, deliberate strokes. I tangled one hand in her blonde hair and pulled as I used my other hand to rub her clit mercilessly. She screamed as she came long and hard underneath me. Releasing her hair, I pulled her up towards my chest and pierced her neck with my fangs. Another orgasm shot through her, taking me along for the ride. This was not making love in any sense of the word; this was two creatures giving in to their baser instincts. The fact that I did love my child only enhanced the experience.

We layed there on the bed for only a few minutes as we were both trying to tamp down the rest of the bloodlust still surging through our bodies; I was the first to get up. I grabbed my phone out of my pants and dialed my day man Bobby; leaving instructions for him to deliver a dozen white roses to Sookie as soon as possible. The next call was to my cleaning crew telling them to come by the club and clean the basement. This was not your average maid service. It was a Supe cleaning service that would get rid of anything you needed with no questions asked. They had come in quite handy in the past and the mess I had made tonight would be child's play compared to some of the scenes they've been to.

Pam was dressed by the time I was done making calls and came to sit beside me.

"Anything else before I head home?" She asked.

"No, you've done excellent tonight. Go on home."

"Very well, goodnight Master."

"Pamela" I called as she walked away and she was back at my side in an instant.

I reached into my wallet and handed her my black AMEX. "Buy yourself something pretty." I said and kissed her head. Out of everything that happened tonight, now she truly looked like a predator eyeing my credit card.

She left quickly before I could change my mind and I followed right after. As I lay in my bed waiting on the sun to pull me under, I thought of my beautiful Sookie and how I was going to convince her to be mine. I could hardly believe that my plans for tonight went off without a hitch and as I rearranged the chess pieces in my head, I had a feeling everything might actually work out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First off I just have to say WOW! I've been so pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming love you guys have shown me for the first chapter! Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and favorited (we're going to say this is a real word) this story, it means so much to me! I knew I would catch some heat from the end of the first chapter and I'm perfectly fine with that. As I've stated in another story, I don't add in sexual content that doesn't serve some purpose or add to the story in some way so I'm glad most of you picked up on that. Last thing I wanted to say is that Sookie and Eric are not blood bonded so no, she did not feel what he was feeling that night. She was able to pick up his emotions easier when he was right in front of her but that doesn't mean the tiny thread they share can't be easily shut down on his side so she can't feel him when he doesn't want her to. One of the readers also picked up on the fact that the Queen's twins weren't there with her (the Berts) and that's because I was basing that off the concept in one of CH's books where if the twins were seen at the compound, everyone would assume Sophie Ann was there. The little covert mission she and Andre were on was top secret.**

I awoke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking at the door. I opened my eyes, slowly adjusting to the bright sun flooding through my windows. I threw my robe on and padded to the front door to see who was disturbing me at this hour.

A middle aged man with a bad case of alopecia was standing outside my door holding a huge purple vase filled with white roses.

"Good morning, are you Sookie Stackhouse?" He asked.

"Yes that's me."

"Could you sign right here please?" He said handing me a clipboard. I signed and handed it back and he handed me the flowers. "These are for you; have a good day ma'am."

I took them to the kitchen table and admired the snowy looking roses that contrasted beautifully with the violet glass vase; there must have been almost two dozen. I pulled out the little card and opened it.

_Sookie,_

_I am very glad you are on the mend. Please don't hesitate to call me for anything; hope to see you soon._

_Eric_

Well that was sweet….and unexpected. Eric had done enough for me by healing me and getting me out of Jackson and the roses were just the cherry on top. I knew there was a lot I would need to think about soon, but at the moment I decided it could wait. Given the circumstances I had recently found myself in, I didn't think Eric or anyone for that matter would fault me for taking my time to sort through everything before making any decisions.

The truth is I just didn't know what to think or feel right now. Bill was my ex-boyfriend? Ex-lover? Ex-booty call? I didn't know how to classify our relationship but whatever it _had_ been it was now definitely over. While I had been lying in Alcide's apartment unconscious it had given me some time to reflect on the last several months of my life. Bill had flown into my life like a whirlwind and brought along with him fun, adventure, sex, murder, intimidation, and heartache. I know that someone as inexperienced as myself isn't an expert on dating, but I'm pretty sure relationships aren't supposed to be that difficult or life threatening.

It was so unlike me that I fell for his southern charm and good looks so easily. How could I have let myself be so gullible and so easily used? Was I addicted to the sex or was it love at first sight? I thought back to the first few days after I had met Bill; I had saved him from the drainers and the next night he returned the favor when he saved me from them. Blood; it all came back to the blood. The night he saved me from the Rattrays, he had given me a ton of his blood to heal me from all my injuries.

When it happened I didn't think anything about it because I didn't yet know what drinking a vampire's blood could do to you. I knew better now though; he was able to keep stringing me along and having me come back to him no matter what he did because I had his blood. It was influencing the emotions I felt towards him. The times I should have been angrier with him or told him to fuck off, I didn't because his blood inside me made me want to keep him around.

I couldn't exactly blame him for that because he hadn't been planning on giving me his blood so soon; I think. He wasn't psychic so he didn't know the Rattrays were going to be waiting to beat me within an inch of my life. As unplanned as it was, it did turn out to be very convenient for him though. I kept thinking that I was missing something and that I should think more about this, so I planned on talking to the two vampires I _could_ trust as soon as possible.

I was off work for the day so I spent the rest of the day sunbathing and trying to forget my troubles temporarily. I'm sure denial isn't the most effective method of coping, but it was working for me. As the sun started it's descent in the horizon, I went inside to shower and get ready for my PJ party with Pam. When I got out of the shower I checked my phone to find a text from her.

_Vampire emergency…blah blah blah…rain check?_

Hmpf! I was actually disappointed that she wasn't coming over. I texted her back that was fine and she should call me as soon as she was available again and we would reschedule. I guess this would be the first of many nights I would spend alone again. The feeling was not unknown to me, in fact the nights I had spent time with Bill were the ones that felt alien. Being alone with just me and my thoughts; that was my norm. It occurred to me that perhaps this vampire emergency had something to do with Bill. I wasn't sure if his Queen would require Eric and Pam for anything, but the timing sure did seem convenient. Whatever the case may be, I sat down with my own version of therapy in the forms of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and some ridiculous Will Farrell movie.

Two days later, I was working the evening shift at Merlotte's when Eric came striding through the door. The noise of the bar went instantaneously to silent, but the clamor inside my head was almost enough to knock me to the ground. The thoughts of the drunken rednecks were ranging between fear, excitement, lust, and disgust. Luckily most of the disgust was geared towards me and my love of the undead.

As I stumbled back towards the bar, afraid my head would explode at any moment; I felt a cool hand wrap around my wrist. Silence. With the quiet of all the others minds now, I could finally breathe. I must have shut my eyes trying to drown it all out because I opened them and realized I was staring into Eric's glacier blues.

"Good evening Sookie." He said quietly.

"Hey Eric. What brings you to this side of town?" I asked nervously. The hand on my wrist was feeling even colder now as my body heat must have shot up.

"I was hoping to speak with you tonight; what time do you get off?"

"I'll be off at about 1:30, so another hour."

"Very well. I'll wait in my car and then meet you when you're done, if that's alright?"

"No. I mean yes I'll meet you, but you can wait in here if you want to. You don't have to sit in your car." I felt the blush in my cheeks as I realized he was still holding my wrist and rubbing small circles on my skin.

"OK I'll wait in here if you like. Take your time." He smiled at me and went to have a seat in my section.

Apparently the fools in the bar had found better things to do than mind my conversation, so they were all back to stuffing their faces and making bad decisions about who to take home with them. Another reason I cursed my telepathy is the fact that I had stayed in this hillbilly backwater town all my life. After seeing how well the Great Revelation had gone, perhaps I could find a bigger city where people wouldn't judge me so harshly. A place where everyone didn't know me as Crazy Sookie; a place where people wouldn't judge me and pity me for losing my parents as a child and then having my Grandmother murdered because I preferred non-breathing men.

Until that day came though, I was stuck slinging chicken baskets for $2/hour plus tips. At least at the moment I had a very handsome blonde sitting in my section, occasionally checking me out. When Sam announced last call, Eric pointed to the parking lot to let me know he would wait outside. Being a bar owner himself, he understood the need to have an empty restaurant before counting the money for the night. When I finished filling the salt and pepper shakers, I had a seat at the bar and waited to cash out my tips for the night.

"So how did everything go in Jackson? You haven't said anything about it all night." Sam said breaking the silence.

"Let's just say Bill is no longer in Jackson and I don't want to talk about it. You're my closest friend Sam and I'll tell you everything one day; just not today."

"I understand cher. Just let me know if there's anything I can do for you ok?"

"I will thanks."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, probably ask why Eric was waiting for me but he decided against it and just cashed me out. Eric was leaning against his corvette looking up at the moon when I stepped outside. His other worldliness was never more apparent than this moment and instead of finding it frightening, I found it beautiful and comforting.

"How was your night?" He asked as I approached him.

"Fine I guess. How about you?"

"Well it's been interesting to say the least. Is there somewhere we could go to talk?"

"Sure, just follow me to the house." I said before getting in my car and making the five minute drive home. I found I was more than a little nervous to find out what Eric was here to tell me.

When we arrived, I went to the porch and sat down on the porch swing. Eric sat down beside me and we both seemed hesitant to be the first to start talking; finally he began.

"There are some very serious things going on that you should know about. As much as it pains me to even tell you these things, it is your right to know and I do not wish to leave you in ignorance." His face seemed somber but determined.

"I understand. I don't want to be left in the dark anymore. I've just realized in the last few days that maybe I didn't know Bill at all and I don't want to be the last to know about things that I'm involved in anymore." I steeled my nerves, determined to listen to whatever he had to say. I'd decided my place in this world involved Supes, therefore I better get used to how things work.

"It has come to my attention that Bill had ulterior motives for coming to Bon Temps. Apparently he was sent here by the Queen of Louisiana to determine the validity of a claim made by the Queen's pet." My mind was racing trying to figure out where he was going with this. "It seems that your cousin Hadley was a favorite of the Queen and during their relationship she told Sophie Ann about her cousin, the telepath."

Oh my God. It was all a lie. Bill didn't meet me by chance and fall for me; he was sent here because my runaway cousin couldn't keep her fucking mouth shut to her girlfriend. Bill was sent here to make sure she wasn't lying and then what? Kidnap me? Take me to the Queen? I gave him my virginity for God's sake! I defended him to everyone who said he was using me for sex and blood. I jumped off the swing, no longer able to hold still. I was pacing the porch, trying to form a sentence but there was too much I wanted to know and it was becoming a jumbled mess of anger.

"So you're telling me that this Queen sent Bill to make sure I really was a telepath?" He nodded his head. "And what was he going to do to me after he found out it was true?"

"He was supposed to deliver you to the Queen, but I assume it was taking him so long because he wanted to keep you for himself as long as possible."

"For what? Does she want me to be her pet too?" I asked in a near shrill. I was angry but also scared of what might happen to me now.

"I believe she would have kept you as a 'pet' or slave really; then eventually she would have turned you so you would be at her disposal forever." The disgust in his voice was clear. I didn't have to ask if he knew about any of this because his anger told me everything.

"That bastard! He thinks he can just feed me his blood and use me for whatever he wants before delivering me to some psycho vampire Queen?! I won't do it! I can't live like that!"

Eric had stood and was now holding my shoulders and looking in my eyes. "You don't have to. I would never let that happen. No one will take you from your home or force you into servitude; I will bring the final death to any who try!" I'm sure he didn't mean to but his fangs had come down fully and he looked scary as hell.

"You can't go against your own Queen Eric. She'll kill you!"

"She wouldn't stand a chance, but it doesn't matter because she met the true death recently. You do not have to worry about her."

I tried to allow his words to sink into my brain. She was dead; finally dead and I wouldn't have to be her slave. How could I have been so stupid to think that Bill wanted me just for the person I am, not what I could do for him. I should have known with all the little red flags I got from him but I was just happy to finally have someone to spend time with. I could kick myself for being so naïve.

"I'm such a fool." I said dejectedly before sitting back down.

"You are many things Sookie Stackhouse but a fool is not one of them. Bill appealed to everything he knew you held dear to trick you. He spied on you and tailored his personality to try and entice you. He acted like the perfect southern gentleman, he was nice to your grandmother, he acted as if he cared about the humans you care about, he is the one to blame for this; not you."

"What will happen to me now? Even if the Queen is gone, what's to stop the next one from coming after me?"

"The new monarch will not come after you, I can assure you. The North American Vampire Council has just named me the King of Louisiana. I will keep you safe."

My mouth dropped as I stared at him. "You're the new King? What happened to 'I'm perfectly satisfied with my little piece of Louisiana?" I said in my best Eric impersonation.

"I was, but things have changed. There is more to consider than just my own feelings about being a monarch."

Maybe it was because I was tired or maybe it was from stress, but I could swear that Eric was subtly telling me that he took a job he had no interest in because it would allow him to keep me safe. Surely he wouldn't do something like that for anyone, much less me. He must have plenty of other reasons for becoming King because I couldn't imagine that my well-being would be a factor in such an important decision when we weren't even dating.

"When you say we need to talk, you don't play around do you?" I teased him trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry I have put so much on you in one night but as I said before, I did not want to leave you unaware of a situation that very much involves you."

"No I'm glad you told me. Bill always kept things from me saying it was for my own good or for my protection, but I know now that it was to protect his own tail. I'm not some glass doll that's gonna break and I don't want to be treated like one."

"I agree completely. You are a resilient young woman and I know you can handle just about anything that life throws at you."

"So now that the Queen is gone, what will happen to Bill? Is he just going to get away with what he's done? He lied to me, used me, raped and drained me, and was going to force me into a life of slavery…he can't get away with this Eric!" At the moment I almost understood the murderous rage I've seen vampires engage in, because I felt like sharpening some stakes myself.

"Do you truly want to know?" He asked eyeing me carefully.

"Yes I do. If he won't be punished, then I'll go after him myself."

"My first act as King was to punish Bill; I killed him. As long as he was allowed to continue his existence, he would have been a constant threat to you. I neutralized the threat and took revenge for your honor."

I must have been staring at him but at the moment I needed to think this through. Eric had just admitted to me that he killed the man I thought I loved, the man I gave my virginity to, but honestly all I felt was relief. I know I should probably run away and never look back from this man in front of me who was in no way a human man, but I couldn't. I might not condone murder but Eric had saved me from Bill and now he had saved me from a life that I couldn't have possibly lived through. I would have rather died than live as an undead slave to a sadistic vampire Queen.

"I can see that I've upset you so I'll be going." Eric said rising to his feet.

"Don't go." I all but whispered. "You didn't upset me, it's just a lot to take in you know?"

He knelt in front of me and took one of my hands in his. "I do not kill for sport Sookie, I hope you know that. He brought shame to himself as well as all vampires when he violated you. The things he did to you in Jackson would be reason enough for me to punish him, but with the added fact that he conspired to make you a slave against your will is a punishable offense. I will admit that a small part of it was personal as well; you know I care for you and I could not let him get away with everything he's done to you. If you are angry with me or do not wish to see me anymore I would understand. I do not regret what I did though; you will be safe and that is what's important."

"I know that Eric. I know that you've always done what you think is right when it comes to protecting me and I appreciate that. It's become apparent to me as of late that I'm a pretty bad example of a Christian but at least I'm a decent survivalist. It's weird to know that someone I cared about is dead, but I understand why you did it. Hell if I thought I had a snowball's chance in hell of taking him on I would have tried to do it myself if you hadn't."

"Come dear one, you are tired and I know you are getting cold out here. We will talk again very soon." He walked me to the door and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips as he said goodnight.

As I lay under my covers that night wrapped in my favorite winter blanket, I prayed that I would be forgiven for not feeling worse over the death of my former lover. Maybe God wasn't listening to me anymore or maybe he understood the whole eye for an eye thing and wouldn't judge me too harshly. Whatever my future held though, I was certain I was not the same girl I had been just a year ago. As to whether or not that was a good thing; well that remains to be seen.

**EPOV**

The night after my impromptu coup at Compton's house I woke to find a message from the NAVC's daytime secretary. It was just as I expected, they had been informed of the Queen's death close to dawn and were in a frenzy trying to figure out what happened and what to do now. Typically if a monarch were to meet the true death, their second in command would ascend to the throne. In this case, Andre had met the same fate as his Queen so Louisiana had no ruler as of today. The email was quite simple and did not reveal any details.

_All Louisiana Sheriffs and their Seconds are required to attend a meeting this evening at midnight at the New Orleans office. Anubis has flights on standby for any Sheriff that requires them; just call the emergency line and give them authorization code 05536. Daytime shelter will be provided as attendance will be required until at least tomorrow night. No companions will be allowed at this function. Do not be late. _

It was good for me that this was a generic email sent to all Sheriffs and not a personal summons. Hopefully everything would continue to go smoothly and no one would be the wiser as to the true death dealer on that fateful night in Bon Temps. I pulled out my phone and called my child who answered on the first ring.

"We have been summoned." I say to her.

"To what?" She asked feigning ignorance.

"All Sheriffs and their Seconds are to be at the Council's New Orleans office at midnight. Pack an overnight bag and I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

"Yes Master."

As I expected, my child knew better than to say anything incriminating over the phone. I changed into a tailored, gray suit and packed a bag with a change of clothes. Driving to Pam's house, my thoughts turned to Sookie as they often did. I wondered what my fair haired angel was doing tonight and how long it would be before she turned to me for the affection I was more than willing to offer her. I would be patient and not rush her; as vampire I knew all about biding my time.

As much as I wanted to caress her smooth, tan skin and show her every act of pleasure imaginable; I would not risk making her feel uncomfortable by moving too fast. Others may experience pain at my hands, but not her; never her. She would know only joy and pleasure from me.

Pam was standing on her front porch when I pulled up. Dressed in her Sunday finest (as Sookie says) she was holding her large Louis Vuitton bag and tapping her heel anxiously.

"That took 12 minutes." She said as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Forgive me; I couldn't go in front of the Council without fixing my hair." I joke with her. I get back on the highway and gun it; even with my driving we will barely make it there by midnight.

"Do you think they know anything?" She asked.

"No. The email called for all Sheriffs and didn't single me out. I'm sure those overgrown manchildren of hers alerted the Authority as soon as they felt the maker/child bond break. I'm not sure what other information they've been able to gleam today."

"Well according to our computers, we were at Fangtasia all evening ordering supplies and doing paperwork."

The age of modern technology was by far the most convenient of all the centuries I've lived through. It just takes a nice chunk of change and a computer hacker turned vampire to get all types of software that can give you a very credible alibi. We didn't speak much else during the ride as we had already gone over every plausible question or situation before we carried out our attack the night before.

We pulled into the small parking deck at 11:50 and quickly made our way to the front. Four gay storm troopers checked our credentials before allowing us to enter. As we entered the meeting room I noticed not only the other Sheriffs, but the Bert twins standing in a corner looking more lost than usual. I nodded casually to each of my comrades as we found our seats. The Sheriffs appeared to be waiting impatiently to hear the reason for this meeting. Pam and I would have to appear to be surprised by the news of our Queen's demise as everyone else would be. I hoped the Council had plenty of tissues ready for the waterworks that would surely flow from the vampires in this room.

Truthfully Sophie Ann had the potential to be a great leader; she was young enough to be creative but not old enough to be languid. Her biggest downfall was her foolish arrogance. Forcing your subjects to pay a larger tithe due to your extravagant spending was not the way to ensure loyalty. Her need to have any and every shiny bauble that caught her fancy was her undoing; and that included the beautiful telepath she set her sights on. I'm sure Sookie's idiot cousin had no idea the chain of events she would set in motion with her pillow talk to her lover, but the idea of sinking my fangs in the girl's neck were still ever present.

After the pageantry that was the opening of every Council meeting, we finally got down to business. An ancient Serbian vampire named Roman Zimojic stepped up to take the reins. He was not your run of the mill vampire; he was THE vampire. Roman was the leader of the Council and the main driving force behind the Great Revelation. He was a handsome, well-built man who was unwavering in his desire to have vampires mainstream. In the power structure of vampirism his title is the Guardian.

"I have called you all here tonight to discuss a very serious matter. It appears that Sophie Ann; Queen of Louisiana has met the true death." Pause for dramatic effect. Not very hard considering we are not a very expressive people. "Her child and second-in-command Andre is also confirmed finally dead. Two of the Queen's children felt the connection with their Maker break late last night and Were trackers were sent to find the remains today. Sophie Ann and Andre's remains were found at an old farm house owned by a vampire in the town of Bon Temps. I believe this is in your area Sheriff Northman." I nodded slightly at him.

"It is unclear why Sophie Ann and Andre were out of the compound without the Royal guards, but we learned today that the vampire who owns the residence has not been seen in at least a week. The human authorities were called to the scene last night as the house was apparently set on fire. Two males belonging to the FOTS were arrested and confessed to murdering the Queen and her child. Obviously we have contacted our associates in the local police department who assure me that the problem will be handled immediately." The Guardian may be all about mainstreaming so vampires could enjoy a life out of the shadows, but that didn't mean he would let a human get away with murdering vampire royalty. The fact that Pam and I were the real guilty parties was a minor detail they didn't need to know.

It occurred to me that everything was going as planned and I only hoped luck would continue to be on my side. Roman finished his spill about what information they had which were the 'facts' that Pam and I wanted them to believe. All of us Sheriffs made the proper comments about helping out in any way we could, yada yada. We were all questioned separately and asked if we knew any reason why the Queen would have been sneaking around breaking into her subject's home without telling anyone where she was going. When it was my turn, I decided to use the interview to my advantage.

"The only possible connection I can come up with involves the vampire home at which she was at. I believe Sophie Ann had Mr. Compton working on some sort of project for her, though I don't know the nature of this project. She always seemed oddly protective of Mr. Compton ever since she ordered me to allow him to live in my area almost a year ago. He brought rogue vampires into my area that blatantly intimidated and slaughtered humans and she would not allow me to punish him for his part in their antics."

"That is most unusual. To be honest with you Sheriff, we have a feeling that your dearly departed Queen was being less than honest with her Council taxes and the circumstances surrounding her death are very bizarre." Although my face was the picture of calm, I began to get nervous at his comments. If he had any suspicions he kept them to himself as he continued talking. "I don't need to tell you how important it is for a new, strong Monarch to take her place before any others get the idea that they may take Louisiana. We are at a crucial point in history right now; we need to present the best faces possible to the human public if we are to be fully integrated into society."

"I understand Guardian. I will assist the Council in any way you see fit to restore Louisiana's power structure." A little kiss ass never hurt anyone and it wouldn't do to seem eager to take the throne.

"I'm glad to hear that Mr. Northman. You are one of the oldest vampires in this country and known as a fair Sheriff and efficient businessman. How would you feel about a change in titles?" He asked while walking around the room.

"Am I to infer that you wish for me to ascend to the throne?"

"Yes. We think with your obvious appeal to the humans and the loyalty you inspire among your own people that you would be an ideal choice for King."

"To be honest I have never aspired to be more than a Sheriff, but I see the need is apparent in this case and I would accept the honor if offered." This was almost too easy. I couldn't have choreographed this scenario better if I had written a screen play for them to follow.

I returned to my seat and sat quietly, revealing nothing as I waited for the Council members to return from their private discussion to finish the meeting. Pam kept looking at me and trying to decipher what was going on but I made her wait with everyone else.

It's funny that before Sookie walked into my life I would never have accepted the throne and all the bullshit that comes along with it. Now I was willing to endure it all if it meant keeping her safe and under my dominion away from other vampires. Killing Sophie Ann and Compton would only have temporarily solved the problem; there would be another vampire who would have come along and tried to claim Sookie as part of their Kingdom assets. Her special talents were becoming well known in the Supe community and taking on the role of King and hopefully one day becoming blood bonded to her would keep her safe and by my side.

The Council came back into the room and Roman called the meeting back to order.

"It is with the blessing of the one true vampire Authority that we offer the Louisiana monarchy to Sheriff Eric Northman of Area 5. Mr. Northman please stand up."

I stood facing the Council members as Roman pulled out the ancient scroll which was jokingly called the Vampire Bible. I placed my hand on it as he began to read.

"Eric Northman of the Kingdom of Louisiana in the Amun region; you have been chosen as King of your state. Do you accept this position and all rights and responsibilities it entails?"

"I do."

"As witnessed this 7th day of December in the year 2010, you are hereby appointed King Eric Northman of Louisiana; congratulations."

I nodded at him and the rest of the Council before turning to the others in the room. Immediately they all stood and bowed low in a show of respect and I have to admit it felt fucking fantastic. I took my seat again and hardly listened to the rest of the drabble they were talking about. The wheels in my head were turning, arranging all the pieces into place. The only time I tuned in to the meeting was when Roman announced that we were dismissed. It was an hour and a half before dawn when we stepped into the hotel I now owned. Blood in the Quarter was a new, very upscale vampire-based hotel that is part of the Kingdom assets. Pam and I were given suites on the top floor and I told her to splurge on room service before retiring to my own room.

I had been sitting on the bed, checking emails and making arrangements on my computer when there was a knock at the door.

"Room service." The voice called.

I zipped over to the door and sniffed the air before opening up. "I didn't order room service." I say to the young demon girl standing in front of me.

"Mr. Zimojic asked us to send this up. He left you a note as well." She handed me the gold plated tray which held a decanter of warmed Royalty blood, a crystal goblet, and a small ivory envelope. I arranged the tray on the kitchen table and pulled the note out.

_King Northman, _

_Congratulations on your ascension. I'm sure you will make an excellent addition to the North American Vampire power structure. This blood is on me._

_Guardian Roman Zimojic_

_P.S. Please give Miss Stackhouse my regards._

Well touché Roman. Apparently he knew of my connection to the famed telepath. It didn't appear to be any kind of threat, just a nod that he knew about my affinity for her. Hopefully this would work out well for both of us if we had the backing of the vampire government on our side. I was beginning to think that fate was very much in my favor in my pursuit of Sookie. With the Gods on my side, how could I ever fail?


	3. Chapter 3

**EPOV**

I stepped out into Sookie's yard, reluctant to leave her even as she was sound asleep upstairs. I was beginning to find that every time I was near her, it was harder for me to leave without her by my side. To say that the night had gone better than expected would be an understatement. I feared that her reaction would be anger or disgust as I informed her of Compton's fate. Truly I hadn't planned on telling her this night that he met his end at my hand, but something about her need for vengeance led me to believe it was the right thing to do. Even as the words spilled from my mouth, I couldn't believe how much I was divulging to her. I found myself feeling confident that she could handle the truth and it was refreshing to not have to lie to her.

I was snapped out of my quiet contemplation as my superior senses alerted me that there was another creature nearby. I scanned the area and though I could sense another being, my eyes could not see my target. My fangs dropped instantly and I crouched ready to strike; ready to defend what was mine.

"Show yourself!" I roared in the chilly night air.

"Vampire, I wish to speak to you but I need your word that you will not harm me." A male's voice came from the direction I sensed, but still I did not see my future meal.

"Why would I make such a promise? You are trespassing on the land of my lover and I will not allow anything to harm her."

"I know you won't; that's why I want to talk to you. I'm Sookie's grandfather." The voice replied.

Grandfather? Didn't Sookie tell me all of her relations minus her brother were dead? If this is really her Grandfather, what kind of Supe is he that he can cloak himself? A witch perhaps.

"Nice try but Sookie has no kin except for her man-whore brother. Now show yourself and face me coward."

"Eric Northman Sheriff of Area 5, do you not recognize my voice? Has it been that long?" He asked. Whoever this was either knows me or is pretending to for the sake of making me drop my guard. Obviously they don't know me very well; however I can't help but think I've heard that voice somewhere at some point in my long life. "It is I, Fintan Brigant. I wish to speak with you about my Granddaughter Sookie. If I unmask myself, will you speak with me like a civilized man?"

Brigant; the fucking ruling family of the Fae in my lover's back yard. I don't know what to think about his proclamations of kinship but I know I must hear him out.

"You have my word that I will not attack you as long as you do not try to go near the house. Believe this Faery; if I think you are in any way a threat to Sookie, I will end you and enjoy doing it."

"I would expect nothing less Northman." He said while slowly materializing in front of me. He stood there looking like something out of a children's book with his long white tunic and matching linen pants. The Fae were nothing if not whimsical while in their own realm; apparently he hadn't been to this plane in quite some time.

"Why are you here?" I asked him taking the direct approach.

"I have been watching you these past few nights vampire." A warning growl escaped from my chest but the Faery kept talking. "I know what happened to Sookie and I was coming to ensure her safety but it seems you have beaten me to it. I know what the dark haired vampire did to her." He said in an icy tone. I knew exactly how he felt.

"And since when do the rulers of the Fae concern themselves with humans?" I asked.

"Come now vampire, you know she is more than human. She is a Royal; my blood, my granddaughter."

It explained so much. I never guessed that Sookie could be a Princess, but the possibility of Faery blood did run through my mind after I met her. I certainly knew there was something more than human about her but I had been unable to pinpoint exactly what it was. That must be where she gets her telepathy from. It would also explain why she seems to glow with an ethereal warmth and beauty to vampires. I can't believe out of all the Faeries to be descended from though that she has to be part of the Royal family. This could be a very dangerous situation for her as well as myself; I need to find out what Fintan's intentions are and decide if he is a threat. It would be a shit storm for our kind if I killed him, but I will not allow anyone else to hurt Sookie.

"How come she knows nothing of you or her Faery heritage then?"

"Her Grandmother and I agreed long ago that we would keep the truth hidden from her until she was ready to accept who she is. It was too dangerous for me to remain a part of her life, so I returned to my realm and tried my best to watch over her without alerting anyone to who she really is. After Adele passed last year, I have tried to keep her safe without endangering her further but sadly I could not protect her from the vampire who hurt her. I would ask for his life in recompense, but I believe you have already passed sentence on him."

"Yes." I answer not revealing anything else.

"I would like to know why you killed him."

"Not only was he sent here to procure Sookie for the former Queen without my knowledge; but when he hurt her in Jackson, I swore I would have my vengeance. No one will hurt her and live to do it again." I know he picked up on the thinly veiled threat under that statement.

"Do you truly care for her Northman? I didn't think it was possible for your kind to love anyone besides themselves."

"That is normally true, but Sookie is different. I care deeply for her and I will do everything in my power to see that she is safe and happy. Tell me, what is it that you want with her?"

"I have been away from her for so long; I only wish to know her. I find that it is harder than ever to stand back idly and watch her being drawn into the Supernatural world without the guidance she needs. As I stated earlier, I have been watching you and I know that you saved her life in Jackson as well as dealing with those who wish to use her for their own gain. At first I didn't think you could possibly be doing it for her own well-being, but now I'm not so sure. I saw you out here with her tonight; I see the way she confides in you and the way you do with her. I have to say this is not something I expected, but I believe you are honorable in your intentions."

I stared intently at the middle-aged looking Faery in front of me. I wasn't sure if I should trust what he told me about wanting to get to know his Granddaughter but if he had just wanted to capture her, he would have already done it during the daytime when I could not defend her.

"So why have you chosen to speak to me about this? Why not tell Sookie what she is?"

"I'm afraid if I simply approach her and attempt to explain everything to her that she will be frightened of me or think I am lying. As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help. She trusts you and she will listen to you. I would like to meet her and I think she will agree if you are the one to ask her."

I thought of the possible scenarios where I could ensure Sookie's safety for this meeting and decided I would do as he asked.

"I will do this for you on two conditions. First, I will pick the meeting place and time. Second, you and you alone will be allowed to meet with her. No Royal guards, no relatives, no faery bullshit. Is this acceptable to you?" I asked him.

"Yes I agree."

"Very well, I'll be in contact soon. Oh and Fintan, you will owe me a favor." I smiled at him. I would do this anyways for Sookie's sake, but you can never have too many Supernatural favors stored up for a rainy day.

Reluctantly he shook his head and then disappeared back to wherever the hell he came from. As I sped down the highway back to Shreveport that night, I couldn't believe what all had transpired lately. I was the new vampire King of Louisiana and I was in love with a part faery/human hybrid who also happened to be a Princess. After one thousand years on this planet, I realized that even I could still be surprised.

**SPOV**

The day after Eric's visit I found myself completely distracted at work. Arlene had called and asked me to take her lunch shift and since I was already scheduled for the dinner shift, it was turning out to be a long day. I couldn't help but think of everything Eric had talked to me about the night before. He had actually killed Bill for not only what he had done to me, but what he feared he would do if given the chance. I was still mad at myself for falling for his lies, but at least now I didn't have to fear him coming after me.

It occurred to me how ridiculous my life had become that within the last two weeks I had been dating Bill on and off, he had left me for his maker/lover, I had gotten myself staked and almost died trying to save him, almost had sex with Eric…yummy, I had been assaulted and drained, and now I was back home and Eric was the King of Louisiana. Sure, just another week in the crazy life of Sookie Stackhouse; maybe I should have my own soap opera.

"Can I get you all anything else?" I asked Maxine Fortenberry; she was an old friend of my Grandmother's and the unofficial town gossip. Today her co-conspirator was Judith Healey; another town gossip and overall pain in my ass.

"No thanks, just the check." Maxine said with her fake charm.

_Good thing her Grandmother isn't around to see her running around with all those dead men….._

_Poor Adele got killed because her granddaughter is some fangbanger and she still whores around with them; should have been her instead…._

My distracted brain was having trouble keeping my shields up today so lucky for me I was hearing all the nasty thoughts coming from my customers. Who did they think they were judging me because I happen to date vampires…or at least dated _a_ vampire. That was something that many people in this town were really good at; claim to be a Christian but judge everything that goes on in other's lives. Well today I was just plain sick of it.

"It's probably a good thing for you that my Grandmother isn't around because she would have a thing or two to say to you two nosey old bitches about putting your nose where it doesn't belong!" I yelled at them before storming off to the back.

Sam caught up with me about five minutes later as I was refilling ketchup bottles a little too roughly. He didn't speak at first, but just watched me slamming the bottles and tightening the lid plastic lids within an inch of breaking.

"You know you can't let them get to you. They're just senile and judgmental; don't let them get you down." He said comfortingly.

"I know but damn enough is enough! Why do all the back woods bigots in this town think that just because they don't understand something it must be bad or evil? I know there are plenty of places where people who are different aren't ostracized and harassed all the time."

"That's true; mostly big cities where people are more progressive have welcomed the new and unusual facts about the 'people' around them. Unfortunately it isn't like that in small southern towns like this cher and you know that. People like you and me and the vampires; they aren't just going to accept that it's normal. They don't know how to react to people who aren't just like them."

"Ugh! It's so frustrating! Even if I wasn't a freak myself, I think I would still be excited to learn about the vamps and all the things that are part of our world. I sure wouldn't go around passing judgment like I was all high and mighty just because I didn't understand something."

"First off you aren't a freak; and I suspect that you would probably be plain ol' sweet Sookie to everyone you came across, just like you are now but most people aren't wired that way. Just don't let it get to you okay? Go ahead and take a break and I'll see you back out there in a few minutes." He said and began to leave.

"Sam?" He turned and stopped walking. "I'm sorry about losing my temper out there. Even if I'm upset, this is your business and I know I shouldn't have done that."

"You're entitled to get angry once in a while and be human Sookie. I'm not mad at you." He smiled and left to go back behind the bar.

I returned to work a few minutes later and was mostly successful at blocking out the rest of the thoughts that came across the bar that night. At 8:30 I walked out to my car, cranked the radio on to Rihanna and drove home singing. I decided I couldn't dwell on all the crazy stuff that had happened to me and instead I was going to do my best to look forward to the future. As daunting as it may sound, it was either embrace the future or end up in a padded room and I had a sneaking suspicion that room wouldn't be nearly as fun.

As I was washing dishes that night my thoughts kept drifting back to the Viking. In the last year that I had known Eric, I realized I didn't know all that much about him. I knew he was a little over a thousand years old, he was the Sheriff; well actually now the King of Louisiana, he was a good Maker from what Pam says and he was a good businessman. Those were the facts; the other things I knew about him were of a personal nature. He was funny, strong, outspoken, witty, dangerous and incredibly sexy; in other words he was every girl's wet dream. Maybe that's why I was so afraid of taking a chance with him. Even when he claimed that he had feelings for me it was hard to believe that someone like him would want someone as ordinary as me.

When he kissed me with the millennia worth of experience he had, it was hard to think of anything except being with him but then when I came to my senses; I knew that it was just lust and it wouldn't last. I didn't know if I could handle another pointless dating experience that would inevitably end with me being hurt and alone. I liked the way Eric and I were able to talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company; I didn't want to ruin that by doing something stupid like falling for him. As the thought crossed my mind I realized I sounded like some old spinster. I didn't have much experience dating but I had heard with my ears and my head from all my friends and co-workers how horrible dating could be when you put so much into a person just to get screwed over in the end.

That's life though. How could I expect to experience life if I was too worried about getting hurt? Maybe that's why people jump back in every time they get hurt; because in the long run you can't find happiness if you aren't willing to weather the storms. So what if Eric and I weren't meant to be together forever? Wouldn't it be better to make the most of it while it lasted than never try at all? Now I was worrying myself; I was standing in the kitchen having an internal argument. I was a grown woman, if I wanted to spend time with him then I needed to put my big girl panties on and just call him. Yes, I would call him like normal 26 year-olds do when they want to hang out with a guy; easy peasy.

Coming to a conclusion, kind of; I went and grabbed my phone and dialed Fangtasia's number. Calling his work line instead of his personal cell would definitely be more casual and that's what I was; just casual Sookie wanting to hang out with her undead vampire friend….no big deal.

"Fangtasia the bar with a bite." Pam answered in a deadpan.

"Hi Pam, it's Sookie."

"Oh well hello my telepathic friend, how are you this evening?"

"I'm great, hope you are. I was just wondering if Eric wasn't too busy if I could speak to him please?" Gosh I was pathetic, I was breaking out in a sweat and he wasn't even on the line yet.

"Sure Sookie, I'm sure Master will squeeze you in real quick." She laughed. I could tell she was taking the phone to Eric by the sound of the noise changing in the background.

"Sookie; to what do I owe the pleasure?" He purred. Damn him for sounding so calm and sexy all the time.

"Hey Eric. How's it going?" Stupid! He's a vampire it's not like he's going to say 'oh I'm under the weather tonight.'

"My evening is going well, better now actually."

"Oh well great. So I know you're probably way too busy with all your King stuff, but I was wondering if you might want to hang out soon? Like nothing special, just you know casual, whatever." Oh my God Sookie please stop talking. He didn't answer immediately so without thinking about it I went on the defensive. "I mean we don't have to, I know you're busy and this is last minute….."

"I would love to." He answered cutting off my rambling. "Did you have something in particular in mind?"

"Um no, not really. I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'm sure I can figure something out though."

"Sounds great; how about I pick you up tomorrow night at 7?" He asked.

"Sure! I mean that's good for me if it's good for you." I said trying not to show my excitement.

"Okay well I'll see you tomorrow at 7 then."

"Ok great. Goodnight Eric."

"Goodnight Sookie."

VVVVVV

At 6:30 the next night I was pacing in my bedroom and checking my makeup and hair for about the hundredth time. Deciding that it was as good as it was going to get, I slid my Ugg boots on to complete my look. I was going for casual but pretty so I was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans, a light blue cashmere sweater, my boots, a pair of tiny diamond earrings, and my hair was down in loose curls. I walked downstairs to wait for my vampire and poured myself a glass of tea before turning on the TV to try and settle my nerves. I flipped through the channels until I came across something interesting on the History channel; it was called Vikings. Yeah I definitely chose that show randomly. Intrigued, I sat there glued to the television for about twenty minutes as I watched the soap opera unfold. I wondered how accurate this really was?

In my stupor, I didn't notice that Eric had pulled up until I heard the knock at my door. I jumped and ran to the door but slowed down right before I opened it. I took a deep breath, stood back and put on my warmest smile.

"Good evening Sookie; you look beautiful tonight." He said gliding through the doorway.

"Thanks, come on in." I tried not to stare at my guest but with his nice jeans, fitted black sweater, and black boots; he was gorgeous.

I walked to the kitchen to grab my jacket off the back of the chair and Eric zoomed up behind me in time to take it and help me slide it on.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, let me just turn everything off." I said flipping the kitchen light off while he walked back towards the door.

"I'll get the television." He said turning around to flash that smirk at me.

Oh great he must have seen what I was watching. His ego didn't need to get any bigger by thinking I spend all my time watching things that remind me of him; because I didn't. It was purely coincidental.

"Alright let's go." I said effectively closing the subject before it started.

We drove through town with me giving him directions to our destination. We pulled up to the ice skating rink just outside Bon Temps city limits and I knew from the look on his face he didn't know where we were. He opened my door and led me to the building entrance where we came to the cashier's window. I stepped in front of him and said "two please" to the lady who took my $12 and handed me two tickets.

"I was going to pay for that." Eric said.

"Nope. My date, my treat."

"Oh so this is a date?" He asked leering at me. Suddenly I didn't feel as confident as I had five minutes ago.

"Well you know what I mean, we're here hanging out so it's just easier to call it a date."

"I am glad to hear it."

As we walked into the main part of the building, he finally got a peek at what we were doing when he saw the huge ice rink filled with kids and couples and all kinds of people just trying to have a little fun. I pointed to the counter across the room and instead of following me; Eric took my hand and lead the way.

I handed her my ticket and Eric followed after watching me. "I'll tak please." I said.

She handed me the ice skates and gave Eric a thorough once over. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking.

"13 please." He said smiling at her.

"Here you go." She answered a little breathless as she handed him the skates. I made sure to shoot her a dirty glare as we walked away because you know; ogling someone is just not polite. I rationalized that I was just defending Eric's honor.

"Do you know how to do this?" Eric asked as we were lacing up our skates.

"Sure, me and Jason used to go ice skating as kids. I haven't been in several years, but I'm sure it's like riding a bike."

"I'm not sure how the two activities are the same." He asked confused.

"Oh no, it's an expression. People say that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget."

"Oh I see. I have to say, this is one thing I have never done."

"Well my gracious, you mean this little southern girl has actually done something that the mighty Eric Northman hasn't?" I said jokingly.

"I'll have you know that my people invented ice skating. They used leg bones from slain cattle and horses and tied it under their boots. They wouldn't cut through the ice the way these do, so people used wooden poles with spikes on the bottom to help propel them across the ice."

"Are you serious?"

"Very. You find that hard to believe?"

"Not really I guess, it just seems weird to think of how long ago that was. If your people invented this, why haven't you ever done it before?"

"My father was the chieftain and I was his eldest son. My place was always at his side; making plans, practicing for battle, and learning my role as heir. It didn't leave much time left over for games."

I tried to reconcile the fun loving vampire in front of me with the man he was during his human life. I couldn't wrap my head around all the things he had seen and done in his life but I found it kind of sad that he hadn't really had a childhood. He seemed to notice my sad glance because he pulled me up and smiled.

"Let's do this." He said and started carefully walking us to the rink.

We waited for a few seconds until there was a gap in skaters before going out. I have to say I instantly regretted my choice of activities. This was not like riding a bike and I was no longer a flexible, 90 pound girl. I was wobbly on my feet but trying my best to look cool in front of Eric. Naturally Eric looked like Brian Boitano out there which made me try even harder not to fall. In his excitement, he sped away from me and I watched with envy as his long legs made easy work of gliding around the ring. I stayed near the rail and was getting a little better when I felt two large hands grab me from behind.

Eric was holding my hips and skating right behind me with a huge grin on his face. Seeing him having so much fun was contagious as my own smile stretched my lips and warmed my heart. His strong hands gripping my waist probably had something to do with me warming up as well. We were making our way around the ring when he leaned forward and whispered in my ear "jump."

I didn't think, I just followed his command and bent at the knees before jumping up. I found myself floating above his head as he held onto me. It was exhilarating and a little scary when he decided to do a few circles causing me to feel like I was spinning.

"Relax, I won't drop you." He called.

I dropped my fears and went with the flow and amazingly I couldn't stop smiling. He brought me down facing him with our lips only inches apart for a few seconds before taking my arms and sliding me under his legs. I shrieked with joy as he quickly pulled me back up and tossed me in the air. He caught me easily and brought me down to skate on my own two feet again. We went on like that playing like kids for the next hour before my legs felt like jell-o. I directed him over to one of the benches and he bent down to take my skates off.

"That was so much fun!" I said not trying to hide my giddiness.

"Yes it was fun. I'm glad you had such a good time."

"Me? I invited you out; you're supposed to be the one having a great time." I said.

"I am having a great time and it makes it even better when you are having fun. I enjoy seeing you so happy." He smiled up at me and I looked away as I felt my cheeks blush.

I excused myself to hit the ladies room and when I returned I found Eric waiting for me with a Starbucks cup in his hand.

"I thought you might be cold." He said handing me the drink.

"I am actually but I didn't realize you were familiar with overpriced cappuccino." I giggled at him and sipped my steaming drink.

"I have seen you drink coffee before so I asked the sales girl to pick something hot and delicious." He wiggled his eyebrows at me making me think of more than just hot coffee.

"Well that was really nice of you, thanks."

We got back in the car and I focused unnecessarily hard on the cup in my hands to avoid the awkward silence. I was having such a good time I didn't want him to take me home already but I wasn't sure if he needed to get back to work.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Yeah I am, but I can just eat when I get home if you need to get back to Fangtasia."

"Nonsense, I will take you to dinner. You took me skating so the least I can do is feed you."

"Oh well alright."

"I know a nice little place not too far from here; I believe they serve steaks, seafood and pasta. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure that sounds good."

We made small chat while driving to the restaurant about all the events he had coming up at the club and his plans to open a second location in the new year. He took me to a nice little nondescript brick building off a side road and as we walked towards the door I felt the unmistakable pull of magic. I paused in my tracks causing Eric to turn around and look at me strangely.

"Magic." I whispered.

"Yes, it's similar to that of the club in Jackson but without the feeling of dread. Are you able to keep walking?"

"Yeah." I answered continuing. "Just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one feeling it."

When we approached the host stand we were greeted by a beautiful young woman with long, platinum hair and porcelain skin. She was gorgeous but I was sure she was not human. I tried taking a quick peek in her head but I couldn't pick up anything. It was different than what you get from the void of a vampire; it was more like just white noise. She smiled at me indulgently and I knew she felt my little intrusion. I smiled back at her sheepishly and she turned to walk us to our table.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Mr. Northman." She said before returning to her post.

"I'm not sure I'm dressed appropriately for this place Eric." I said nervously as I looked around the room.

"Don't worry; I'm sure the owner doesn't mind." He smirked at me.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I own it."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to say about that. I knew the club wasn't Eric's only business, but I was beginning to wonder how many pies he had his hands in.

I realized looking around that even though the outside of the building looked minimal, inside was a different story. All the booths were made from a dark, heavy wood and upholstered with buttery soft black leather. The lighting was dim and romantic with the occasional blue glow from around the bar. The bar itself was impressive as it extended all along the back wall with every type of liquor imaginable and plenty of cushy stools. It looked like something you might find in a big city, not in the middle of nowhere, Louisiana.

Our waiter came and I ordered the grilled lobster with roasted brussel sprouts and Eric asked for a house blend, whatever that is. I was enjoying not being bombarded with everyone's thoughts and it dawned on me that was because the restaurant was full of Supes with only a few human dates thrown in.

"Is this a Supe restaurant?" I whispered to Eric.

"Yes." He whispered back mocking me.

"That's the reason for the magic out front; to keep humans out?"

"In a way yes; as you could tell they can enter when they are accompanied by a magical creature, but otherwise the spells would deter them from wanting to enter."

"So the hostess, she's not entirely human is she?" I asked.

"Did she feel different to you?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, I couldn't pick anything from her brain and she knew I tried."

"She is a sprite."

"A sprite? Are you serious?"

"Yes, she's part of the Fae. Fortunately for her, her scent doesn't make vampires want to devour her."

"Well that's good. Anyways, I like it here. It' beautiful and it's quiet." I said referring to the noise level and the lack of clamoring in my brain.

"I'm glad you are enjoying it, I'll have to bring you here more often." I looked away from his eyes but he carefully slid his hand into mine. "I wanted to speak with you about my new position."

Instantly I became nervous because I had already considered that being King would probably take him from Shreveport. I felt like we had just finally come to some sort of even ground and now he was going to be leaving me behind.

"I know you're going to be very busy Eric, you don't have to explain."

"It's true I will be busy, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. As I told you, the Royal residence is located in New Orleans. Since I have ascended to the throne, I will need to move there soon to begin handling the affairs of the Kingdom."

I swallowed trying to dislodge the lump that had formed in my throat. In the back of my head, I knew this was coming but I guess I was trying to pretend it wasn't.

"Well I'm sure you'll be a great King. I'll have to come visit you sometime and see your new digs." I smiled attempting to joke about the whole situation.

"Actually I was hoping you might move to New Orleans as well." My mouth must have dropped open because he quickly tried to explain. "You see, I have inherited many new businesses and frankly I need people I can trust to help me run them. I'm already busy with my own ventures and now I will be assuming responsibility for several more. I was hoping that's where you would come in."

What was he talking about? How in the world could I be any help with his new businesses when I didn't even have a degree or any marketable skills? Telepathy; that's how I could help him. It was beginning to make sense now.

"Look Eric I know I said I would work for you whenever you needed me, but I can't be a full-time mind reader; it's exhausting."

"I don't wish for you to use your gift constantly either. There is much more you have to offer besides just your telepathy. In particular, I thought you would be great at helping me manage the Lucky Strike casino and hotel."

"If you don't just want my 'gift' then I'm not sure how I would be qualified to manage a casino. You know all I've ever done is wait tables and serve drinks."

"Sookie don't disparage yourself like that. Just because you have done menial labor for the past several years does not mean that you aren't capable of doing something else. You need to realize how intelligent and talented you truly are. The job at the shifter's bar is beneath you and it's time you moved forward in life."

I sat there feeling my anger rising for a few moments but keeping it in check as I thought about what he said. Sure I didn't think there was anything wrong with someone working at a bar, but hadn't I fantasized about what it would be like to have a career? Sam was my good friend, but I didn't want to spend my entire life slinging chicken baskets and die in Bon Temps having accomplished nothing. I felt my ire slipping away as I realized that smug ass in front of me was right; I did want more for myself.

I knew he could see the gears working in my head as I sat there thinking and luckily he was quiet and left me to it. When my food came, I dug in and he sipped from his wine glass which was filled with some kind of house blend blood. I wasn't sure where they found this house blend because it certainly didn't look synthetic but at the moment my food was too good for me to care.

When I finished the delicious meal, I scooted my plate out of the way and looked at Eric.

"I appreciate the offer and I'll definitely think it over." I answered.

"Good. Now, what was the show you were watching earlier? I believe it was called Vikings." He said plastering that smirk back on his face.

"Yeah well there was nothing else on TV." I shot back.

"I have watched it before. I find it amusing and although more accurate than some I have seen, it still seems more dramatic than I remember human life. I do like the actor who plays Ragnar though, he is quite feisty."

"Was Ragnar a real person?" I asked.

"Oh yes; Ragnar Lodbrok was just slightly ahead of my time. He was said to have been a mighty warrior King who spent most of his life participating in raids and capturing many treasures. He was part of an expedition which carried 5000 Viking warriors to what you now know as France. The sagas say that Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider that year."

"Ragnar." I answered before he could finish.

"Yes. He had six sons though four of them are famous as they are mentioned prominently in the sagas that followed their life. After his first wife Thora died, he married Aslaug who was the daughter of a Valkyrie and a mighty war hero. Together they had Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Hvitserk and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. They took after their father and were brave warriors in their own right. When their father Ragnar was finally killed, it is said they traveled to England and avenged his death by waging a bloody battle against the English. They succeeded and went on to claim and rule their own lands."

"Wow." I said fascinated by his tales.

"Well that's enough history lessons for tonight; I don't want to bore you too much."

"No, not at all; I love hearing your stories. I can't believe how much of history you've seen with your own eyes, it's incredible." I felt like a star struck little girl who just met her favorite celebrity.

"Well in that case, I would be happy to tell you more stories about other places I've traveled and things I've seen any time you like."

"I would love that." I smiled genuinely at him.

He smiled at me, pleased that I had enjoyed listening to stories from his time. Honestly I thought it was one of the best things about vampires coming out of the coffin; they were living (sort of) history books without the taint of religion and politics skewing the facts.

He drove me home and even fielded more questions I had about the Viking age without being annoyed. The banter between the two of us was easy and uncomplicated and I was sad to see my farm house come into sight. He walked me to the door and we stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, neither of us really wanting to say goodnight.

"Thank you for tonight, I had a wonderful time." He said finally.

"Oh you're welcome. I had a good time too, and thanks for dinner."

"Anytime. I will call you soon and of course you can always call me or come to the club."

"Okay, well goodnight." I stared into his beautiful blue eyes and prayed he would kiss me.

"Goodnight Sookie." He said softly before leaning down and brushing his lips lightly against mine. The cool velvet of his lips felt like a soft caress and I found myself deepening the kiss, not wanting to let go.

His right hand gently pulled my body towards his while his left hand eased into my hair. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to me and I found myself wrapping my arms around his waist. There was no urgency in the kiss, no need to speed up or slow down, all that mattered in that moment was feeling the connection. After a good minute or two of making out like teenagers on the front porch, I felt him gently pull away. I had to remind myself to breathe when his lips left mine. He paused as he pulled away and inhaled my scent close to my neck. I couldn't help the ragged breath that escaped me at his close proximity.

Seemingly pulling himself out of the spell faster than I did, he looked me in the eyes one last time and said goodbye. When I came to my senses a minute later, he was gone and I was still standing outside grinning like a lunatic. Who would have thought crazy Sookie could go on a normal date and have a great time and even get a goodnight kiss. I made the decision right then that no matter what the future held for the two of us, I was determined to find out.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys just wanted to point out real quick that I am no history major, so my Viking info came from Wikipedia. Hope everyone is enjoying the story and don't forget I love hearing from all of you so feel free to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for bearing with me guys! Real life has been kicking me in the teeth lately and I'm behind on all my stories. I'm working through it the best I can though and I promise I'll never leave you hanging too long! Thanks for reading and any feedback is appreciated because you guys are the best!**

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Two days after my date with Eric, I found myself contemplating my current situation as I sat in a booth rolling silverware at Merlotte's. The lunch rush had cleared out and now all of us servers were stocking and cleaning before the dinner shift started drifting in. As I sat there meticulously tucking the corners of the napkin and lining up the silverware just right, it occurred to me how monotonous my life was. This was not the first time the thought had drifted through my mind; in fact my most recent near death experience had shown me that besides almost being killed every other week, my life was pretty boring.

I found that each time I drove to the local Wal-Mart or talked to the same drunks at work, I was becoming more and more restless. The things that used to bring me some sense of familiarity in routine were now becoming boring and agitating. I don't really know when I stopped thinking I could get out of this nothing town and make something of myself, but I assume it was around the awkward teenage years. As if being a teenage girl isn't hard enough, try being a telepathic teenage girl.

I guess I just figured the world wasn't ready to accept someone who looked normal on the outside but deep down was struggling not to go crazy from hearing everyone's thoughts. I had accepted that I would never get married, never go to college or have children, but deep down I always yearned for so much more than Bon Temps could offer. It wasn't until the night of the great reveal that I realized that there were others out there trying to hide their true identities and fit in with society.

Of course from my telepathy I knew that people had secrets; oh boy did people have secrets! Some of the things I've heard from others over the years would shock, scare, and terrify the people around them if they had this little 'gift' of mine. Even knowing those things though was not enough to make me feel like I could ever be accepted as the person I really am. To me; a married man who secretly cross-dresses when his wife is out of town on business is still not as scary as a young, pretty girl who can hear your innermost thoughts.

So to solve that feeling of solitude, I had done what I felt I had to. I kept my head down and tried not to draw attention to myself, I graduated high school and didn't even consider college an option, and I took a less than stellar job as a barmaid at the local watering hole. Sure things could have been worse for me, but let's just say I'm not going to experience all life has to offer while I'm reading trashy romance novels on Friday nights while in my pajamas.

"….Did you hear what I said?" Arlene's voice cut through my silent contemplation.

"Oh I'm sorry; I must have been spaced out. What did you say?" I answered.

"I said do you want to go to the tractor pull tonight? My new fella Whit has a real handsome friend that's gonna be there." She said wiggling her eyebrows. "I bet you'd like him; he's about your height, not too skinny but not real fat either, a real country boy with tight jeans and flannel shirts and he has a real nice trailer on two acres of land right outside town. I could set you two up now that old Mr. Corpse is out of the picture."

"Has he ever been married?" I ask feigning interest.

"Uh, well just twice but the last one had some mental issues so it wasn't his fault they split up."

"How about kids?"

"Three little boys. Their mamas ain't nothing to write home about either. They could use a nice, pretty stepmom like you Sookie." She said smiling.

"So in other words; you want to set me up with a short, chubby, twice divorced single Dad who's a redneck and most likely overweight and who lives in a trailer out in the boondocks. Is that about right?"

"Well when you put it that way Sookie! Damn at least he breathes!"

"Sorry Arlene but I find other qualities in a man more appealing than the amazing feat of breathing. Thanks for the invite though." I replied drolly.

Apparently she didn't see the humor because she stormed off with her red hair flying high behind her. I may not be a prize catch, but I would rather be single then be unhappily married with a house full of kids in a shanty in the middle of nowhere. This was why I realized that it was time to make a change; a big change. I finished my cleaning duties and made my way back to Sam's office. The door was closed so I imagined he was probably hunched over his desk with his hands in his hair, doing paperwork. I knocked before entering and found my imagination was very accurate.

"Hey Sook, what's up?" He asked looking up from his stack of papers.

"I need to talk to you, is now a good time?"

"Sure I can take a little break. It drives me crazy looking at all these numbers anyways."

I sat in the chair across from his desk and twiddled my fingers while searching for the right way to start.

"I can tell you're nervous about something so just spit it out. You know how much I care about you; you can tell me anything." He said.

"Thanks Sam. The thing is, I've been offered another job and I really want to take it but I don't want to leave you behind."

"Well I hate to hear that Sookie but I'm sure it must be a good opportunity for you if you're really interested in it. Do you mind if I ask what job?"

"That's the thing; actually Eric offered me a job at one of his businesses…..in New Orleans."

"Wow, New Orleans huh?" He sat back in his chair and I could see the hurt on his face. "What kind of job is it?"

"Well he hasn't given me the exact description but he wants me to help out with the casino he just inherited. I guess I would be helping to book entertainment for the clubs and overseeing the restaurants; pretty much whatever else he wanted me to do."

"Yeah, I heard he was the new King of Louisiana; news travels fast in the Supe community. Not to sound rude, but do you know anything about managing in a casino?"

"No, not really. I mean I guess I have good people skills and I can definitely find my way around a restaurant and bar but honestly I don't know if I'm qualified for the job. I told him that when he offered it to me, but he insists that I would do great. I'm not so sure I believe him though."

"I didn't mean to sound so discouraging Sook, I'm sure you would be good at any job. I just didn't know you had any interest in something like that."

"Truthfully I didn't either. I never let myself believe that I deserved something better than what Bon Temps had to offer. No offense or anything."

"None taken." He laughed. "I know what you mean. You know I grew up in the city and that's why I find the slow tempo of this town soothing, but if I had lived here all my life I would have already gone postal."

"That's how I'm starting to feel. Now with the vamps out and maybe some of the other Supes will come out one day soon; I feel like I'm not the only person who's different anymore. I feel like I can get out and live a little. This town, the people, the same scenery day in and day out; it's driving me crazy. I want something more out of life."

"Something more than being a barmaid at a little shack like this."

"No, that's not what I meant Sam. I love working for you and this has been the only job I've ever kept for longer than a week."

"I know cher, I'm just teasing you. You know I'll really miss you when you're gone. Who else is going to save me from hearing Arlene's constant relationship drama?"

"Sorry. I mean nothing is certain yet, I could still turn it down especially if you really need me here."

"No Sook, this will be good for you. You deserve to get out and experience life and you can't do that here. As much as we'll miss you, it's a good opportunity for you and I think you should take it. If you ever change your mind though, you'll always have a place here."

Tears welled in my eyes as I realized I was essentially telling my best friend goodbye. As much as I wanted to start over somewhere new, there are a few people I would miss and Sam was at the top of that list.

"Thanks Sam, I really appreciate that." I said.

He walked around to my side of the desk as I stood and hugged the only man who had ever liked me just the way I was. As of lately, I was starting to think there might be another man like that but for the past five years Sam had been nothing but a good friend and a good boss to me. He was the best friend/brother I had always hoped for since my own brother was not exactly reliable.

"When is your last day gonna be?" He asked as we parted.

"I'm not sure yet but I'll work as long as I can before I leave."

I went back out front and worked the dinner rush before leaving at 7. On the way home that evening, I couldn't help but smile as I thought about giving Eric the news that I would come to New Orleans with him. I wasn't sure yet what I would do about the farm house or renting a place in New Orleans, but I was pretty sure that Eric would have some useful advice.

As soon as I got inside, I ran upstairs and jumped in the shower to freshen up. After showering I straightened my hair, put on some makeup and a pretty purple sweater dress with black leggings and black stilettos. I gave myself an appreciative glance in the mirror before heading out the door on my way to Shreveport. I was picturing a bright future as I sped down the highway towards my destiny.

**EPOV**

When my eyes popped open that night, I immediately felt slightly different. It's easy to notice changes in yourself when you're a vampire. Humans constantly have some kind of ache or ailment it seems but unless a vampire has been injured, we stay exactly the same.

That's why the feeling in my chest threw me off for a minute until I realized that my sweet Sookie was feeling happy and hopeful. Though we hadn't formed a full bond, at my age it was still fairly easy for me to read her feelings after our last blood exchange. Granted it had been under dire circumstances that I had given her my blood in Jackson, but I still enjoyed the feeling of my blood inside her.

It made me ache to be with her in every sense of the word and from the small amounts of her blood inside me; I swear I could feel every molecule begging to be reunited with her. I caught myself smiling as I walked into Fangtasia that night, wondering what my little Faery was so excited about. Obviously I was hoping she was thinking about me, but with Sookie you never knew. She could be thinking of making a donation to the ASPCA in her shifter boss' name for all I knew.

It had taken all my control not to call her or go to her after our date two nights ago. I longed to see her every night and kiss her the way I had on her front porch, but I did have a reputation to uphold so I refrained from chasing after her like a lovesick fool. Fortunately with my newly appointed position as King, there was plenty of work to distract me….for a little while.

I wiped the smile from my face and plastered my dangerous, sexy face back on before walking out into the main part of the club and taking a seat on my throne. One of the new bartenders; a fairly attractive, young blonde immediately made her way to me and brought me a warmed AB negative while seriously eye fucking me. I waved her off without much notice before pulling out my phone to check emails. It's funny that not so long ago I would have scoffed at the True Blood and taken the blonde to my office for dinner instead.

For the foreseeable future those activities would be off limits. There was only one blonde I was currently hoping to feed from and enjoy mind-blowing sexcapades with and that would be the one and only Sookie Stackhouse. Even if my baser instincts clawed at me to satisfy my urges, I would not risk losing all the progress I had made with Sookie. _Soon enough _I told myself; she would be mine and I was certain that the taste of any other after her would be tainted.

"Well don't you look dapper this evening?" Pam said gliding up next to me.

"I always look dapper. Expensive gray suits are just fancy wrapping for an already impressive package."

"Wow I'm not sure how you made it through the door tonight with that huge ego Eric."

"My ego is only one part of me that's…..huge." I smirked.

"Hmm…you are almost giddy tonight. I wonder what it could be? Perhaps you have made more headway with the busty telepath?"

"I don't know what you're talking about; I'm always this enjoyable."

"Sure you are. Anyways, what's on the agenda for tonight? Anything important?" She asked.

"I have two minor disputes to see to later and you need to have Maxwell meet us at closing time to discuss his new promotion."

"Ah yes, our new Area 5 sheriff; the nerd."

"You know as well as I do that the nerd thing is just an act. I've seen him take down 3 Weres and a vampire at once without breaking a sweat."

"Vampires don't sweat Eric."

"Precisely. Now, have you made inquiries into the other matter I asked you about?"

"Oh yes. It seems the dearly departed Mr. Compton has been presumed finally dead from the house fire. Since his Maker is also gone, as King you are entitled to _all_ his possessions."

"Those possessions would include the project he was working on for the Queen; the one we have yet to locate."

"Yes it would seem as soon as you find it, all rights will belong to you. Where do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure but I think Sookie probably knows. To think that idiot Compton went through all that trouble of being tortured to protect his little project to only have it become mine so easily. It's quite funny really."

"Well I don't know if I would call it easy, but it sure was fun." She grinned flashing some fang. "Either way, it won't matter if you can't find the damn thing."

"Oh rest assured I will find it. If Sookie doesn't know where it is, I'll hire a witch to locate it."

"Speaking of Sookie, look who's walking in the door." Pam said.

I was off my seat and at the entrance within a second as Pam's words had barely left her lips. If I hadn't been in an intense game of candy crush on my phone, I would have noticed her arrival sooner. I slowed as I approached her and she let out a little gasp when she looked to her side to find me there.

"Eric hi! Oh gosh you startled me!" She squeaked out.

"Good evening Sookie." I purred as I took her hand and kissed it. "You know you do not wait in line like the fangbangers when you come here."

"Sorry, I just feel weird walking past everyone like I own the place."

"You are my special guest and you are too good to wait in line with the likes of the vermin. Please have a seat." I said leading her to my reserved booth.

She sat down in the middle of the bench seat and looked surprised when I slid in beside her instead of sitting in front of her. It wasn't often that she came to the club without being summoned and I wasn't about to put any more distance between us than absolutely necessary. I noticed the slight blush on her cheeks and the quickening of her heart beat as I left no room between us and placed my left arm around her shoulder.

"So what brings you here tonight Sookie?" I asked her.

"Can't a girl just come and have some fun at a local club?"

"Of course they can. Is that why you're here? Looking for a little _fun_?" I asked her in my best panty dropping voice.

"Yeah, I heard this place has some real hotties; have you seen any?" She teased.

"As a matter of fact, my child over there is quite beautiful." I said playing along.

"She certainly is, but I'm into guys. Guys with really big….fangs."

A low growl escaped me as I answered the sexy little Faery.

"Oh yes, I can show you the biggest fangs you've ever seen. I've been told mine are quite impressive."

"Oh really?" She asked breathlessly. The sweet aroma of her arousal drifted to my nose and instantly my fangs shot down.

"See for yourself." I said as I displayed them for her.

"Oh yeah, pretty impressive alright."

"Would you like to touch it? Or should I say them?" I smiled.

"Oh I don't know about that. My Daddy always warned me never to trust a vampire with big fangs. He said they only have one thing on their mind."

"Hmm, a wise man your father." I tried to tamp down my growing hunger for her before I did something rash, like ripping off her clothes and taking her right here on the table.

Luckily she was doing the same as she giggled and laughed off our little sexual innuendo.

"Actually I thought it might be fun to come and hang out with you guys tonight and I also wanted to talk to you about the job offer."

"Have you made a decision already?" I asked trying not to get my hopes up.

"I have. If the job is still available, I want to take it. I'll move to New Orleans with you….er, I mean you know to New Orleans at the same time as you for the job."

"I'm very happy to hear that and of course the job is still yours. I think you will do an excellent job and I'm excited to see how well the two of us work together."

"Me too." She answered shyly. "Just promise me one thing."

"Of course."

"If I really suck at the job, just tell me. Don't be scared to hurt my feelings because the last thing I want to do is make a fool of myself or make you look bad for hiring me."

"Sookie there is no way you will 'suck' at the job. I have no doubts you will be excellent or I wouldn't have asked you and as for you making me look bad; well that couldn't be further from the truth."

"Thanks Eric." She said smiling.

"Well this calls for a celebration. Shall we dance?" I asked her.

"Sure!"

I pulled her gently from the booth and led us to the dance floor. There must have been over one hundred people on the floor, but my only focus was on Sookie. The way her body moved as she slithered and gyrated against me was mesmerizing. In all my years on this planet and all the beautiful women I've seen; Sookie was the most captivating creature I had ever laid eyes on. Completely ignoring the duties I had tonight, I danced with her for almost an hour before she finally asked for a reprieve.

As we sat back down in the booth, I waved a hand at Ginger who promptly brought Sookie a gin and tonic.

"I'm sorry, you must have so much to do tonight and here I am taking up all your time." She said after tossing back her drink.

"Don't apologize, I would much rather be here with you than doing anything else I had planned for tonight."

"Well thanks, but I'm sure your _subjects_ need you." She snickered.

"That they do unfortunately. I do have some business to take care of, but I….I'm sure you're probably tired from work."

"No I'm fine. You go do what you need to do and I'll hang out for a while. I'm not leaving yet."

"Good. I shouldn't be too long. Get whatever you want from the bar; my treat."

"Wow dancing and free booze, I think I like it here." She laughed.

As hard as it was, I tore myself away from her beautiful smile and walked back to the storeroom. Closing the door behind me, I typed in the code on the hidden security panel and the trap door in the floor slid open. I walked downstairs to my cozy little dungeon and opened the door to the waiting area. When I bought the building I had a reinforced basement added and an emergency exit that comes out in the woods surrounding the building. When other vamps in the area come to discuss private matters with me they often use the emergency exit as an entrance and then wait in the little lounge right outside the main part of the 'basement.'

Tonight I had Arla, my Area 2 Sheriff waiting for me with two other vampires in tow. Beside them was Thomas; my new Area investigator. I felt the presence of my child in the room behind me as I signaled for them all to enter. I took my seat on the opposite end of the room with Pam behind me and the visitors across the room. They all bowed deeply before returning to a standing posture against the wall.

"Arla, you may present your case first." I said in a no bullshit voice.

"Thank you your Majesty. I have brought with me tonight the vampires Adrian and Carmichael." She said pointing each one out. Adrian was an attractive young vampire with long, brown hair and a small waist and Carmichael was the exact opposite in his cheap Kmart duds and less than stellar appearance. Apparently his Maker wasn't going for looks when he was made. "As I mentioned in my formal complaint, Carmichael was filmed feeding from an underage girl in an alley behind a local bar in my area. Adrian witnessed the act and stopped him before chasing down the humans who were filming the incident."

"Does the girl live?" I asked.

"Yes Majesty." Adrian answered.

"And as for the humans and the recording?"

"It took me two hours, but I tracked down all three of them and glamoured the information out of them. I also found the phone that was used to record the incident and took it with me to ensure no one would see it."

"Did they have a chance to send the video before you destroyed it?"

"No sir. I had a friend of mine who works in IT look at the phone and he determined that it hadn't been sent or posted anywhere."

"Good. What do you have to say in your defense?" I said turning my attention to the style challenged vampire.

"I didn't know she was underage. The little bitch was drinking in the bar; I guess she had a fake ID."

"So just because she was drinking in a bar, you didn't think to double check how old she was through glamour? If she wasn't even eighteen, I'm sure she had to look quite young."

"Hey it's not my fault that she pretended to be older than she was! I bet you don't check the ID of all your meals."

Before he could blink, I had him pinned against the wall with my hand wrapped around his neck.

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" I growled at him.

"I meant no disrespect your Majesty." He gasped out.

"I'm due much more respect than what you've given me, you little shit! I am the King of this state and as long as you live in Louisiana, you will show me the respect I deserve. Is that understood?"

"Yes Majesty."

I dropped him to the floor and calmly smoothed my suit jacket back down before walking back to my chair.

"Have you decided on a punishment Sheriff?" I asked Arla.

"Well given the nature of the offense; that it violates an edict from the Authority, I thought it best to leave that up to you."

"Very well." I sat back and pondered my options for a moment before making a decision. I walked over to the cabinet on my right side and pulled a pair of pliers out before going to stand in front of Adrian.

"Your actions were quick and smart and for this you will be rewarded." I smiled at her. Handing her the pliers, I continued. "My ruling is as follows. Carmichael for your idiotic actions which could have resulted in a major shit storm for all vampires, you will be fined $5000 which will be paid directly to Miss Adrian here. You will also lose your fangs until you can prove that you are intelligent enough to feed correctly."

"What?" He shrieked.

"Just be glad I'm in such a good mood tonight you fool or you would be meeting the sharp end of a stake right now for your actions. Your fangs will grow back in a few months and if you have proven that you will no longer endanger our kind with your stupidity, then you will be allowed to keep them. However if you have done anything else that I find displeasing, I will rip them out again and cap your gums with silver."

Seemingly accepting his punishment, he nodded his head and braced himself as I guided Adrian to stand in front of him.

"Adrian I would like for you to do the honors please." I said to the girl.

"Yes King Eric." She said demurely but I saw the glint in her eyes telling me how much she would actually enjoy this.

"Whenever you're ready." I smiled back at her.

**SPOV**

Eric had been gone from the table for a few minutes when I decided I couldn't sit still any longer. I didn't see Pam anywhere, so I figured she must be off with Eric attending to whatever business they had going on. Looking around, I realized the bar was really crowded tonight and people seemed to be having a great time. Besides the constant barrage of lust fueled thoughts from the patrons, this actually wouldn't be a bad place to work. The music was good, the atmosphere was fun, and of course the scenery was freaking gorgeous! Maybe if Merlotte's would have been a fun place like this I wouldn't be so anxious to get away right now.

I walked over to the bar where Ginger and Belinda were getting swamped with orders. The bar itself was crowded with people trying to get a drink and to make it worse, the waitresses kept turning in more orders for drinks for their tables. I walked behind the bar and grabbed a spare apron with the Fangtasia logo splattered across it.

"Tell me what you need me to do and I'll help." I said to Belinda.

"Oh no Sookie, the Master would kill me if I had you back here serving customers. Thanks anyways."

"Nonsense. I want to help and I know my way around a bar. Now what can I do?" I said not backing down. Surely Eric would appreciate it if I was helping out and not be mad, Belinda was just being paranoid.

"Uh…well okay, just start from the left and start making the drinks on those tickets. Once you have them ready for a table, just put the ticket and the drinks on a tray and set it down there." She said pointing to the side table beside the bar.

I quickly started filling orders and watched as the waitresses came by and picked them up and dropped more empty trays off with their new tickets. It was dizzying to make drinks so quickly with the music thumping so loudly and the bar packed full of people in front of me but strangely I found it kind of fun. I've never been one to be lazy, so I enjoyed the fast pace. It was like an exercise for my mind that didn't involve people's thoughts.

I cleared all the waitresses' tickets and when they gradually stopped bringing new ones, I decided to help out with the customers waiting at the bar. Not seeing any particular way to do things, I just started helping customers on the far right hand side while Belinda floated around the middle and Ginger down on the left side. Having worked in a bar for five years, I knew how to make almost all the drinks that were being shouted at me but a few house specialties I had to look up.

"Here you go, four Alabama slammers." I said pushing the little shot glasses to the guys in front of me. The three of them grabbed a glass each and pushed the fourth back at me.

"That one is yours sweetheart." The muscular blonde said to me.

"Oh that's ok, I don't think I should be drinking and serving. I might mess up the orders." I laughed.

"Oh come on, the girls here do it all the time. You've earned it." He smiled and playfully lifted the shot towards my mouth.

"Well, what the hell!" I said before throwing it back with them. They cheered and gulped down their own drinks before slipping me a $10 bill.

_That was fun_ I thought. Nobody has ever done that in Merlotte's before. Over the next hour, I chatted with customers, poured tons of drinks, and ended up doing several more shots with rowdy bar patrons before it had slowed down enough for me to take off my apron and step back. I turned around to leave the bar giggling all the way when I ran smack into a brick wall; Eric.

"Sookie what are you doing? Did you have to come back here and make your own drink? Those lazy little…"

"No no Eric! It was slammed so I came over here and saved the day! Or the night actually! Turns out I'm a pretty fucking awesome bartender!" I said laughing and rubbing that beautiful marble chest in front of me. Oh boy I could almost see his little pert nipples with the way his shirt was unbuttoned. Maybe if I lean in just a little I could put one in my mouth without anyone noticing.

"You were serving the humans?" He asked sounding semi disgusted.

"Uh duh I'm human too silly! It was fun! Hey did you know there's a shot called a blowjob?" I said provocatively.

"Sookie have you been drinking?" He asked.

"Just a teensy little bit but don't worry it was all drinks that the customers bought for me, I wasn't like ripping you off or anything. Oh and there's a shot called a slick pussy!" I whispered conspiratorially. "It's really good, I wonder if that's what real pu.."

"No it doesn't." He interrupted. "How about we go sit in my office?" He took my hand and started leading me towards the back.

My place right behind him as we made our way through the crowd gave me a perfect view of that grade A prime ass of his and I couldn't help but give it a good squeeze. Once we were in the office and he closed the door, I flung myself at him and wrapped my arms and legs around him like a barnacle. I attacked his mouth with mine and found that apparently bartending made me extremely horny. I was fighting his tongue for dominance and grinding myself into him as I cut my tongue on his fang. I felt a small shudder go through him as he sucked the blood off my tongue.

Much to my dismay, he detached from our kiss and set me down.

"Sookie listen, I think you've had too much to drink and…"

"No Eric I feel wonderful! For the first time in my life I feel alive and exhilarated! I keep thinking about Jackson and how great it felt in that bed with you. I keep wondering what it would have felt like if Bubba hadn't come in when he had and I want you so bad Eric." I yanked at his belt and began undoing it as I pulled him towards the desk with me. My body was on fire for his and I thought I would explode if he didn't fuck me right then.

I hopped up on his desk and after almost falling off; I got myself situated and layed back on it.

"Please Eric I want to feel you inside me. I can't wait anymore."

His fangs were fully down and the look in his eyes was that of a predator; a really hot predator! I pulled him down towards me and kissed him with everything I had in me. His hands ran up under the hem of my dress and along my sides as I spurred him on with my enthusiasm. When he growled at me I thought I would come right then, until he sat up and pulled away from me.

"Sookie this isn't right, I can't do this."

"What's wrong? Don't you want me too?" I asked feeling rejected. For some reason, tears instantly sprang to my eyes.

"Of course I do. You're all I want." He said picking me up off the desk and placing me on his lap on the couch.

"Then why don't you want to have sex with me?"

"Oh I want you every way I can possibly have you but here, like this, it's not right. You're drunk and you're definitely too good for a quickie in the back of a bar. When you do yield to me, I want it to be perfect for you. I want you to be absolutely sure you want it, and I want to give you hours and hours of pleasure. You deserve much more than this Sookie and I won't let my raging lust for you ruin something that could be so special."

"Oh Eric, you're so sweet. There's so much more to you than I used to think there was. How could I have been so stupid?"

"You are not stupid my angel. You are beautiful, kind, loving, gentle, and brave." He said punctuating each word with a soft kiss on my face. "It's not your fault that you didn't know the real me until recently. It's because I keep this side of me locked up; I only let it out for you and Pam. You are very important to me Sookie Stackhouse and you've made me very happy tonight."

"Because I was rubbing my fun zone on you?"

"Um no, I mean that was nice too but I'm talking about you coming here to spend time with me and telling me that you're coming to New Orleans with me. I didn't know how I could bare to leave you behind and now I don't have to find out."

"I'm pretty happy about that too. Can we cuddle?" I asked sleepily.

"Of course we can." He laid down on his side on the couch and pulled me right up against his chest, spooning me. I could feel my whole body relax as he put his arm around me and intertwined our fingers. This was happiness. This was right.

"Eric?" I mumbled.

"Yes lover?"

"Don't ever leave me." I wasn't sure if the words even came out before the darkness pulled me under.

"Aldrig min kärlek. Våra öden är förseglade." (_Never my love. Our fates are sealed_.)


	5. Chapter 5

The next day I woke with someone pounding a hammer inside my head. I struggled to open my eyes and bring myself to consciousness several times before finally waking up. Luckily for me the room was completely dark, so there was no sunlight to assault me first thing but I quickly realized I had no idea where I was. Sitting up and looking around, it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness so I could get out of the bed and find out where I was.

The first thing that caught my attention was that I was lying on a huge bed with the softest down comforter I had ever felt. Thinking back to the night before, I realized that I must have had a few too many free drinks with customers; therefore explaining my pounding head and queasy stomach. I knew Eric would never let me do anything stupid like drive home or leave with a stranger, so I had to assume I was at either his or Pam's house.

I threw my arm over to the other side of the bed, feeling around in the dark for another body but found it empty. Ok that was probably a good sign that I was in a bed by myself; I ran my hands down my body and discovered I was also still wearing my sweater dress and leggings from the night before. The only thing that had been removed was my shoes.

I hopped out of the giant bed and slowly made my way towards another door I could faintly see to my left. Opening it, I found a bathroom instead of an exit but at the time that was definitely where I needed to stop first. After finishing up, I left the door open with the light shining so I could find my way through the bedroom again. On this trip I noticed my keys sitting on top of a piece of paper on the nightstand beside the bed.

_Sookie, _

_I didn't want to leave you alone at your house so I brought you to my home instead, I hope you don't mind. Pam drove your car here so you could leave if you needed to during the day. Please help yourself to anything you like in the kitchen and make yourself at home. If you need to go home today then I will call you later, but feel free to stay as long as you like._

_-Eric _

I smiled as I thought of Eric driving me to his house as I lay passed out in the Corvette and then carrying me Rhett style up to this bedroom. I was even happier as I realized he had been a perfect gentleman and put me to bed fully clothed and slept somewhere else. My mind was a little foggy about the night before so I only hoped that I hadn't made an ass of myself around Eric or embarrassed him at his bar. Hopefully the nice note he left me was an indicator that I didn't do or say anything I would regret.

As I stepped out of the bedroom, I found myself standing on antique hardwood floors on the upper level of the house. There was an iron banister about ten feet ahead of me and down the hall to my right was a staircase. As I walked carefully down the stairs with my none too steady posture, I admired the beautiful paintings lining the walls. There were a few paintings that didn't make much sense to me so they were probably worth a fortune and unlike in a human home; there were no portraits or family pictures.

There was one painting at the bottom of the stairs that really captured my attention though. It was a beautiful landscape of snow covered mountains and a crystal clear lake below. Something about it was so enchanting and beautiful; it was hard to look away. I would definitely have to ask Eric about this one later. I walked through the house exploring the different rooms and finding myself mightily impressed with Eric's sense of style and décor. The house was beautiful but not pretentious and manly without being rugged; sort of a reflection of Eric himself.

Most vampires don't have a real kitchen to speak of, they have a refrigerator and microwave and not much else; Eric's kitchen however was a little bigger than I expected. There were dark granite countertops with a few stainless steel appliances and much to my delight there was a coffee maker! Now if there was just some coffee somewhere that would be even better. Part of me felt guilty for rummaging through the cabinets, but my longing for coffee outweighed any guilt I had.

I finally opened the refrigerator when I had given up my search for the coffee and low and behold, there it was. I set it to brew and grabbed a pack of bagels and cream cheese I had spotted in the fridge. I was surprised Eric even had food in his house and it made me a little jealous to think of who he had been feeding. Obviously I had no right to feel that way since he and I had just started dating, but regardless I felt that twinge of pain anyways.

It occurred to me for the umpteenth time that if I had just met Eric before Bill, things would have been so different. If Bill hadn't seduced me under orders from his Queen and filled my head with all kinds of bull about Eric, I would have seen the wonderful man that was right under my nose. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. I had promised myself the past was going to stay in the past and I was only looking ahead from now on, and by golly I was going to stick to it.

After eating my bagel and cleaning up, I reluctantly got in my car to head back to Bon Temps. The cold wind that smacked me in the face outside was enough to make my teeth chatter and pull my jacket a little tighter against me. Louisiana doesn't have very cold winters and especially not at the beginning of December. It was yet another reason I wanted to run back inside and snuggle under that warm blanket and wait for my vampire, I mean Eric to wake up.

Something about being in Eric's house, knowing he was close by gave me a sense of comfort I hadn't expected. I found myself not wanting to leave at all, but knowing that it was probably for the best that I did. On my way home, I called my tomcat brother who I hadn't spoken to in weeks and agreed to meet up with him later for dinner. Even if we weren't all that close, he deserved to hear from me personally that I was leaving Merlotte's and Bon Temps altogether.

I hadn't decided what I would do about my house yet and since Jason had his own house, I didn't foresee him wanting to move in. If I would have stayed sober last night that was one of the things I was going to discuss with Eric. Another matter I really needed to figure out was where would I be living in New Orleans and how much was it going to cost me. I had a sneaking suspicion Eric would try to pay me way more than what my position called for so we would definitely have to discuss all these matters soon.

As I pulled into my driveway and parked my car, I felt a strange tickle in my brain I wasn't familiar with. It was almost like, well….holy smokes someone was listening to my thoughts! I sat in the car and didn't move as I cast a mental net to find out who or what was on my property. In my 25 years as a telepath, I had only come across one other telepath and right now I wasn't sensing his human brain nearby. Just as quick as it came, the feeling was gone. Try as I might, I couldn't find another being nearby anymore so whoever was here was gone now.

Frustrated I walked into the house and promptly locked all the doors; much good that would do if it was some kind of Supe outside. It couldn't have been a vampire because it was daytime, it didn't have that snarly feel of a shifter or Were brain; frankly I just didn't know what it was.

Not about to let the surprise visitor ruin my day, I changed into my favorite sweats and went to work on cleaning the house. If I did end up renting the house or letting someone stay here, I wanted to make sure it would be a house Gran would be proud of. It's ironic that right after Gran died, everyone said I should move out of this house to escape the memory of that horrible night but in reality I couldn't have left if I wanted to. Being here was one of the only things that was familiar and concrete in my life at the time and moving somewhere else would have been devastating; but now that I've gained some peace and closure about everything, I couldn't wait to spread my wings and fly away.

Once the house met Sookie's OCD requirements, I showered and threw on some warm clothes to go meet Jason. After arguing with him that I didn't want to eat at Merlotte's on one of my few nights off, we had finally agreed on a little Italian restaurant right outside of town. The sun was almost down as I stepped into the car and I noticed the temperature was dropping quickly. Driving down the road, I flipped through the radio stations until I heard the local forecast calling for snow later tonight into the morning. I couldn't believe we were going to get snow! If you're from up north, you probably laugh at us southerners getting excited over a dusting but hey, we don't get snow very often so it's a big deal.

What would be even better is if the snow stuck to the ground, I might be able to get out of work tomorrow. This was really shaping up to be a great day. I pulled into the restaurant a few minutes later and my thoughts drifted to Eric as they were doing more and more frequently. The sun was completely down now, so he had probably risen in the last few minutes. I wondered if he would be glad I had chosen to go back home today or did he actually want me to be there when he woke up? Too much intense thinking for now, I'd have to revisit that later.

Jason was in his weekend best wearing his snug blue jeans, fitted polo shirt, and his charming smile; the one that made all the girls go gaga.

"Over here Sook!" He called from his seat at the little bistro table.

"Hey big brother!" I said happily as he stood and hugged me.

"I got a drink while I was waiting on you, you want one?" He said indicating his beer.

"Uh just a sweet tea tonight." I didn't add that I had consumed more liquor last night than I usually do in six months.

The waitress came by and took our orders while Jason made his best 'sex me' eyes at her; I hoped she even heard my order. Jason seemed to be in a very chipper mood so I was optimistic that he was going to take my news really well. A girl can hope at least.

"So how have things been going?" I asked him.

"Great. Me and Hoyt been picking up some side jobs because the road crew isn't so busy in the winter months, but things are good. What about you? You and that vamp still seeing each other?"

I flinched involuntarily before I caught myself. I hadn't spoken to Jason much recently so of course he didn't know about Bill.

"Uh no, we're not together anymore. He moved actually, you won't be seeing him around town anymore." A little white lie never hurt anything.

"Really? Well dang I didn't even know. Guess that means you're available for some living guys now?"

"First of all Jason, having a pulse isn't all it's cracked up to be. Second, no I'm not exactly available."

He eyed me with suspicion apparently trying to read it from my brain. "Who are you seeing?"

"Look, let's not go into my love life right now. Let's talk about you; are you seeing anyone special these days?" The best way to change the subject with Jason was to turn the attention back to him; he had no problem talking about himself…..for long periods of time.

"Not really, just same old same old. I'm running out of girls in Bon Temps that haven't experienced the Stackhouse, I've been moving on to Clarice to find some fresh meat."

"Wow Jason that sounds really great." I said sarcastically. "Speaking of moving on…" I took a deep breath and prepared myself. "I've got some great news. I've been offered a really good job in New Orleans and I'm going to take it. I'll be moving by the end of the month."

"What? Where are you going to work at in New Orleans?"

"Actually I'll be working at the Lucky Strike hotel and casino. I'll be sort of a manager and I'll be setting up new events and concerts to bring in more business. I'm really excited about it."

"Not to be a downer Sook, but what do you know about events and management? How did you hear about this job anyways?"

"Well no I haven't done this type of work before, but I'm not stupid and I think I'll do really well at it." I actually wasn't entirely sure, but I would never admit that to him. "You remember Eric? The big, blonde vampire that owns Fangtasia?" He shook his head yes. "He owns the casino now and he offered me the job. I won't be doing it alone either, his business partner Pam is going to be there too. Aren't you excited for me?"

"Oh, now I see. Those damn fangers are sucking you in! I can't believe you're gonna up and move to New Orleans and leave all your true friends behind because you're so obsessed with those blood suckers! You know they're just using you for your…..your little handicap."

Oh now I was mad as hell! Who did he think he was?

"You listen to me and you listen good Jason Stackhouse! I may not come from much, and I may not have a degree from an Ivy League school but I deserve to get out and make my own way in life! I am not obsessed with anyone and those _fangers_ are the only ones who have ever treated me with respect and not like some freak! They value my intelligence and they call my telepathy a gift, not a curse. I don't have to hide who I am in front of them, they like me just the way I am! I don't know what true friends you're talking about either because my only true friends are those blood suckers who are taking advantage of me by offering me a great job in a fun town and a chance to have something better for myself."

"Sookie they're dangerous! They want three things from you; your mind reading, your blood, and what's between your legs! I ain't gonna let a sister of mine become some fang-banging whore who travels around with vamps as their personal blood fountain!"

By now the other people in the restaurant were starting to look at us and if I didn't shank Jason with my butter knife then I would end up crying and neither one would end well.

"Well I'm glad to know where we stand brother. I'm moving whether you like it or not and as far as I'm concerned, don't speak to me again unless you have something nice to say." And with that, I got up and gracefully stormed out of the restaurant.

As much as I wish I could say that I was tough enough to let Jason's comments roll off my back, I wasn't. Hot tears poured down my face as I drove back to my house. Sometimes it seemed so unfair that I had tried all my life to be good and kind to people no matter what their lot in life, and yet the same couldn't be said for my friends and family. Jason had made more than his fair share of mistakes in his life and instead of kicking him when he was down, I always supported him and let him live his life the way he wished. Now that I finally had something good going on in my life, he couldn't find it in himself to be supportive.

The nerve of him telling me that I was abandoning all my true friends to be a fang-banging groupie! I sure would love to know where all these supposed friends were every time I needed a shoulder to cry on or a girlfriend to get a pedicure with. Hell I would gladly take Pam's snarky comments about my wardrobe; at least she wanted to go shopping with me, which is more than I could say about my other girlfriends.

Everyone in this town wanted to pretend like I didn't really have telepathy; that I was just crazy or slow unless they needed my help. I can't tell you how many times Arlene asked me if her latest fling was cheating on her or when some 'old friend' from high school wanted to find out the deepest secrets of the locals, then they wanted to talk to me. Well not anymore, I was done with fake people and trying to pretend to be something I'm not so people would accept me. If my own brother had to be included in the list of people I was leaving behind then so be it.

Even as the thought went through my head and I tried to be strong, I couldn't help but sob at the idea that the only family I had left was now on my shit list. In my anguish, I almost didn't notice the Corvette parked in my driveway. Before I got out of the car, I wiped my tears and tried to take a few deep breaths before stepping out. I loved seeing Eric but it really couldn't have come at a worse time; the last thing I wanted was for him to see me looking like this and feeling sorry for myself.

I found him sitting on the porch swing rocking slowly and he stood and walked towards me as I approached the steps. Doing my best to act like nothing was wrong; I walked right up to him.

"Hey Eric, what's up?" I said casually.

"Sookie I hope I haven't shown up at a bad time, but I wanted to talk to you about some things that I should have last night."

"No it's not a bad time, come on in." I said stepping past him and opening the door.

He took a seat on the couch in the living room while I excused myself to go get freshened up. As I stood in the bathroom staring in the mirror at my now clean face, I wondered if any of what Jason said was right. Was I obsessed with vampires? No I wasn't, I just enjoyed their company because they made me feel normal and the added bonus that I couldn't hear their thoughts. He was right about something though, I wasn't cut out to manage a casino. Who was I trying to fool, thinking I could take a job like this? Deep down I knew Eric was just offering me the job because he wanted me to go to New Orleans. How could I forgive myself if I was a total spaz at the job and made some huge mistake that caused him to lose business or even worse, tons of money?

"Sookie, is everything okay in there?" I jumped as Eric's voice came from right outside the door.

"Yeah everything's fine, I'll be right out." I brushed away the new tears that had fallen and stepped out the door. Instead of going straight to the living room, I stalled by walking to the kitchen and slowly heating up a blood for Eric. Once I couldn't stall any longer, I sat down beside him on the couch and handed him the bottle.

"Thank you, you didn't need to trouble yourself." He said.

"It's no trouble, you're my guest. Besides it's only fair since I had coffee and bagels at your house this morning."

"Ah yes, I'm glad you found some things you liked but we'll talk about that later. Right now I want to know what has you so upset?"

"Nothing really, I'm fine. It was nothing."

"Even if I couldn't see and smell that you've been crying for the last hour or so, I could tell just by your eyes that something is bothering you. Please Sookie, tell me what it is."

Damn those tears! They had a mind of their own as a few new tears escaped my eyes. Eric gently reached forward and put his hand under my chin as he looked in my eyes and willed me to confide in him. Trying hard to push down my natural instincts to turn away and play tough Sookie, I decided I would never get over my insecurities if I didn't start somewhere.

"I went to see my brother tonight for dinner. I was really excited to tell him about my new job and moving and everything and it turns out he wasn't nearly as happy as I was about it."

"Really? And what did he say that led you to believe he was not happy with your news?"

Oh crap Eric was getting mad now. I wasn't sure if I should even tell him what happened considering his already dismal opinion of Jason.

"He pretty much just said that I wasn't cut out for the job and that I had an unnatural fascination with vampires." That would be an understatement but there was no need for a play by play.

"So in other words, he said you were an unskilled fangbanger? That's rich coming from the biggest man whore in Louisiana with the IQ of a plate. Would you like me to break his arm? Drain him?"

"God no Eric! Nothing like that. Jason isn't a bad person, he's just insensitive and he doesn't think before he speaks. I'm sure he didn't mean for it to come out as bad as it did."

"Sookie I'm going to tell you something that I don't think you've ever heard before; you're too nice. You can't always make excuses for other's behavior and let people treat you so poorly. You are not a fangbanger and you are one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Jason is a piss poor excuse for a brother and he doesn't deserve the love of such a wonderful woman as yourself. Let me ask you something; once Jason was old enough to work, did he help support you and your Grandmother financially?"

"Well no, but Gran never asked him to."

"Of course she didn't because like you, she was probably too nice for her own good. She shouldn't have had to ask him, he should have done it because it was his responsibility as a man to take care of the family. Even now, what does he ever do for you? Does he ever stop by to check on you, offer you financial assistance, offer to help you with yard work or other chores that ladies shouldn't be doing?"

"No but I'm not helpless Eric, I don't need a man to do things for me."

"I didn't say that Sookie, but it's the right thing to do for a man to look after his family. A real man has a sense of honor and duty that compels him to do these things; Jason doesn't. It's not right and you have to stop making excuses for him."

It was hard to hear someone talking about my brother that way, but it didn't make his words any less true. I realized that Eric was right. I was far from a damsel in distress, but it would be nice to have a man around to help with the upkeep of this old house and to work on my car when it needed it. I had always done those things myself and what I couldn't take care of, I usually spent money I couldn't afford to hire someone to help me when I had a perfectly capable brother a few miles down the road.

Even as teenagers, Jason used his money from his part time job to fuel his truck and buy beer and pot for him and Hoyt. It always fell to me to help Gran out with groceries and property taxes and it only got worse as we got older. The day after Jason graduated high school he moved into our parent's old house and left Gran and me to fend for ourselves. Gran had never asked him for anything but it would have been nice of him to offer.

"I get what you're saying Eric, but most guys now days don't do things like that either."

"That's what is wrong with men today; no pride, no sense of honor. They spend their time playing video games and living with their parents well into adulthood. They conceive children with women they aren't married to and leave the woman alone to be taken care of by your government. It doesn't make sense to me. In my day, it was a man's privilege to work and provide his family and children with everything they needed. If a woman in your family became a widow, you would take her into your home and assist her, not leave her to her own devices. When I married my fallen brother's wife, I took care of his children and treated them as my own. I would have never left Aude to be someone else's responsibility; it was my duty as a man."

I tried hard not to look as shocked as I felt. Eric had been married; with children none the less.

"Eric you were married?" I asked forgetting all about Jason.

"Yes when my oldest brother died in battle, it fell to me to marry his widow. Marriages were not love matches like they are now, but she was a good woman and a good mother to our children."

I was almost breathless as he spoke about his human life. It was so hard to imagine this tough as nails vampire as a normal guy with a wife and children. I was nervous to keep asking questions but I desperately wanted to hear about his life.

"So you took your brother's children in. Did you two have children of your own as well?"

"Yes. Aude had two daughters when I married her and she bore me a daughter and two sons. Sadly the youngest boy died at birth as did Aude, but my son and daughter thrived. They were beautiful toe-headed children and though they were still young when I….left, I knew already that my son would be a fine, strapping young man. I'm sure he made one hell of a warrior." He had a faraway look in his eyes as if trying to bridge the millennia that separated this life from the one he spoke of.

I thought I wanted to hear all about his human life but truthfully it made me achingly sad to think of all he had lost. To lose your wife and a child all at once; the thought was unbearable. I jumped up from the couch and went to stand by the front door so he didn't see me crying. He was always strong for me and I wanted so badly to hear his burdens and be strong for him.

After a moment I felt his strong hands rest on top of my shoulders and I could smell the faint essence that embodied him; earthy, wild, and manly. I silently inhaled and cursed myself for being such a blubbering mess tonight. To think the day was going so well earlier too.

"Sookie do not cry for me my angel. That was a very long time ago and I've made my peace with it."

"Oh Eric but it's so terrible. I'm so sorry for everything you lost. I can't even imagine."

"Yes you can. You have lost a tremendous amount too and yet here you are; still breathing, still surviving. I grieved for a long time for everything I had lost, but now I try to remember the good times and think of all the things I've gained. Just think, if I hadn't been made vampire then I wouldn't be standing here with you right now watching it snow."

"I'm glad you're here too Eric but….wait did you say snow?" I pulled the door open and sure enough the fluffy white landscape outside confirmed it. "Oh my gosh it's snowing! It's so beautiful!" Not only was the ground already covered but the fat snowflakes showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

"It is a most beautiful night." He said pulling my face towards his. I blushed as I realized he wasn't just talking about the snow.

"I'm sorry I've been such a mess tonight. You came here to talk to me and all I did was drown in my pity party."

"Never apologize for your feelings Sookie. They are one of the things I love most about you." He leaned in slowly and my heart raced as I awaited his kiss. Always one to surprise though, he kissed the tip of my nose and then leaned back. "I don't know if you know this, but my people were very fond of the snow. How about we have some fun?"

"You want to play in the snow?" I asked laughing.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well besides the fact that it's late, it's dark and cold out there."

"Oh come on, live a little. One of us has to." He smirked.

I burst into laughter and the last vestiges of wallowing and self-pity flowed out of me.

"Alright fine we'll play, but you'll have to give me a minute to get changed. These aren't exactly winter weather clothes."

"Very well, I'll meet you outside. If you aren't out in ten minutes though, you're getting dropped in a snow drift."

"You know that threat would scare me if we actually had enough snow for a snow drift." I ran up the stairs and started searching for a pair of coveralls I was sure I had somewhere.

I found the ugly garment at the back of my storage closet, along with some rain boots. I put on a coat I typically used for winter yard work and slid my phone in one of the pockets. To complete the ensemble, I wrapped up with a scarf, hat, and gloves before finally walking outside. The pin pricks on my face as I stepped outside reminded me that I was not acclimated to this sort of weather. It was childishly beautiful and the huge grin on my face was only widened by the sight of a six and a half foot vampire standing and catching snowflakes on his tongue.

It took some maneuvering to pull my phone out of my pocket with the gloves on but I managed to snap a picture of Eric.

"What are you waiting on? Come play with me." He said flashing me that smile that warmed my heart.

I walked over to him and he pulled me close to him as he took the phone out of my hand and held it in front of us.

"Smile." He said.

His free arm was around my waist and I put my arms over his; I didn't need to force a smile because I couldn't have been happier in that moment. After he snapped a few pictures, I stepped away to secure my phone back in my pocket before it got ruined.

Then I did about the dumbest thing a girl could do when faced with a powerful vamp who loves snow; I lobbed a snowball right at his head. He of course ducked before the snowball hit him and then got a positively predatory look before pelting me with one faster than I even saw him make it. I shrieked and took off running across the yard, unsuccessfully trying to hide from his artic assault.

"That's not fair; you're a lot faster than me!" I squealed as I ducked behind a tree for cover.

"I guess you're right. Poor pitiful pearl can't keep up with the big, bad vampire! Here I'll take it easy on you." He mocked. I would have been offended if I wasn't so shocked at his southern euphemism. I'll chalk that one up to Pam and Dear Abby.

"Don't flatter yourself geezer! I could beat you with one hand behind my back!" I shouted back as I bent down and formed a few missiles of my own.

His laughter echoed across the yard and I tried not to laugh at my ludicrous statement. I shot out from behind the tree, throwing snowballs at him the whole time as I ran towards the cemetery. He might be a vampire with super keen senses, but I had been running these woods and cemetery since I was a little girl. I reached the tall, angel statue that had always been my favorite hiding place as a child and ducked behind it. When we were kids, I would hide in the cemetery because Jason was always too creeped out to come in and find me. Personally, I always found graveyards peaceful and beautiful in their own way. Come to think of it, maybe that would explain my inclination towards men of the undead persuasion.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Eric taunted walking slowly past the graves.

I tried to slow my heart beat down so he wouldn't hear it from a mile away but I'm sure between his hearing, eyesight, and super smell he already knew exactly where I was. Playing games with vampires was just not as fun as with humans.

"Ok I give up!" I yelled. I took my ivory scarf off and waved it in defeat before slowly stepping out.

"I knew you couldn't handle the pressure of a snowball fight with a Scandinavian." He said.

"You're just so much faster and better at this than I am. Poor little human Sookie." I said dejectedly.

"Aw don't worry; even other vampires would be no match for me. I'm in my element right now."

"Brrr" I said chattering my teeth.

"You're cold, come here and I'll warm you up." He said wiggling his eyebrows at me before pulling me to his chest.

I wrapped my arms around him and smiled into his chest.

"That's better." I said trying not to snicker.

Just like a man to get distracted by the enemy if they have boobs. I quickly lifted the back of his sweater and opened both my snow covered gloves on his back and rubbed the freezing, icy mess all over his back. He jerked and squirmed as his fangs shot down and his smile scared the hell out of me. I was starting to rethink my bright idea of pulling a fast one on him.

"You naughty, naughty girl. I guess I have no choice." He said.

Before I could run, he tightened his grip on my waist and raised us off the ground before shooting through the bitter cold air back towards my house.

"Holy cow it's freezing! Put me down Eric, I was just kidding! I won't do it again!" I begged.

"Oh no, I'm afraid you've broken my trust Sookie. I don't know if I can believe your lies again." He laughed maniacally.

"I promise I'll play fair! Come on let's just get back on the ground and I won't trick you again, I promise!"

"Well in that case…" He laughed.

I could see my backyard coming into light and Eric was heading straight for a spot in the backyard. I couldn't quite make out what it was but….oh hell! Boom! We crashed right into a freaking snow drift! There was only about two inches of snow on the ground and somehow I was now buried in a snow drift!

"Ahh!" I yelled as the cold shocked me to the core. "Eric I'm going to kill you!" I yelled.

"You're about 1000 years too late my little vixen. By the way, did I mention that exceedingly good looks, awesome strength, and making incredible vampire children are not my only specialties? If given five minutes, I'm also quite good at amassing snow into a big pile."

I struggled to free myself from the prison of snow I was buried in but it wasn't easy. Eric reached out to pull me up but stubbornly I pushed his hand away and kept trudging myself. Eventually I made it out and stood up to dust the snow off me the best I could while shivering.

"That was a dirty trick!" I scolded him.

"What's wrong, you can dish it out but you can't take it?"

"I hit you with snowballs, I didn't bury you!"

"Details." He said nonchalantly. "That's what you get for using your feminine wiles to make me drop my guard you little siren."

As cold as I was, I couldn't help but laugh at our little snow fight.

"Ok you got me there; I had it coming but now it's time to go back in."

"As you wish." He said and stepped aside for me to lead the way.

When we stepped back inside, I closed the door behind us and slowly removed my outerwear over the rug to prevent tracking wet snow all through the house. Like a good little doggy, Eric just shook the snow off him and pulled his shoes and socks off.

"I'm freezing; I've got to go take a shower. Do you want to take one too?" I asked not thinking of how it sounded.

He was in front of me in a flash with that shit eating grin again. "Of course lover. I thought you would never ask."

Realizing it sounded like I had just propositioned him, I blushed and quickly tried to correct what I said.

"I meant you can use the guest bathroom if you want to while I use my bathroom. Of course you don't have to shower here if you would rather wait until you get home or something."

"Oh a nice hot shower would feel wonderful right about now." He turned and began walking towards the spare bathroom, pulling his sweater off slowly.

I thought about going back out in the pile of snow because suddenly my temperature was rising quickly. I snapped myself out of it and made my way upstairs to my own shower. I was definitely not thinking about all those rippling muscles on that cool, hard, delicious slab of marble downstairs while I was showering. Having to drop the temperature in the shower several times was pure coincidence.

I dried off and wrapped my hair in a towel before searching through my drawers for some acceptable pajamas. I wasn't used to having company while I was sitting around in my pj's, so most of my stuff was not exactly fashionable. I decided to go with my Victoria's Secret yoga pants with the hot pink waistband and a long sleeved, white cotton shirt. I thought it gave off a 'I don't want to look like a slob but I'm not dressing up either' kind of vibe. It didn't hurt that all males loved women in yoga pants.

I made myself a cup of hot apple cinnamon tea before going back to the living room. I found Eric sitting on the couch just as he had earlier except this time he was wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a Fangtasia t-shirt with his tousled, towel dried hair resting on his shoulders. It didn't seem fair for a man to look so beautiful in something so casual.

"Where did you get the dry clothes?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I always keep spare clothes in the car; you never know when you might need them." He smiled at me.

"I can imagine you find yourself in some 'sticky' situations sometimes that require a change of clothes….and an alibi." He laughed as I did and I sat back and enjoyed the feeling of having someone else in the house with me. I hoped he wasn't going to leave soon but I wouldn't tell him that in fear of sounding desperate and clingy.

"If you have the time, we could watch a movie." I said finally breaking the silence.

"Sure we can do that, but first I really do need to talk to you about something. What I'm about to tell you is probably going to be a little shocking, so hear me out before you react." He waited for me to agree so I nodded my head and tried to put on my serious face even though I figured he was going to say something stupid like 'I'm a virgin' or 'I'm going to monastery.'

"You said earlier that Jason was the only family you have left." I shook my head. "That's not entirely true. You have family that you've never met and they are eager to meet you and get to know you."

"What? I don't understand."

"Sookie you know you are special, but I don't think you know how special you truly are. You aren't entirely human, you're a Faery. A Faery princess to be exact."

I don't know what he said next because I couldn't hear him over my wails of laughter. That Eric was always such a kidder!

"Oh yeah, I am a princess! That means you better treat me like royalty honey!"

"Sookie you aren't getting this, you really are a Faery princess. Your grandfather is the Prince of the Fae." He said with a serious look on his face. He was really good at this.

"Okay Eric, well a Faery princess should not be wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt so I'm going shopping tomorrow for a beautiful, silk ball gown. I wouldn't want to slum it! Actually, if I'm a Faery princess then I should just be able to wish for this right?" I had tears at the corners of my eyes from laughing so much as I stood up and ceremoniously waved my arm in front of me and said "as Faery princess, I wish I had the finest blue ball gown I've ever seen!"

The next few things happened so quickly it's hard to describe. As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a pop noise and an ethereally beautiful older man appeared in front of me out of thin air and I'll be danged but a gorgeous, blue ball gown appeared on my body. Naturally, I hit the floor.

_TBC….._

**_A/N: Just a quick note to let you guys know that although I will continue posting my work on this site, I've also moved everything to just in case any of my stories get deleted from this site. I personally haven't had any problems yet, but I've heard many authors have and have since moved their work to the other site because there is much more freedom of speech and no real censorship. As long as my work stays up on this site, I will keep posting here but just keep in mind that if you prefer the other, my work will be there also. Thanks for reading and as always, I love to hear from you guys!_**


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